


Time Leaves Scars

by tantedrago



Series: The Time Travellers' Daughter [2]
Category: Warehouse 13
Genre: F/F, Gen, Magical Baby Fic, Seeing your own future, The butterfly effect, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-01
Updated: 2014-04-01
Packaged: 2018-01-17 19:41:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 45,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1400125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tantedrago/pseuds/tantedrago
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eight months after the events of 'The Time Traveller's Almost Wife', Myka and Helena struggle communicating. They meet occassionally for coffee. Myka has problems processing what has happened during her time travel. She's afraid of changing the future she has seen. Meanwhile in the Warehouse, Claudia tries to set up a new program on the Warehouse's hardware and causes a big problem. What a lucky coincidence H.G. is around. Together, Myka, Helena and Claudia try to fix the Warehouse, unaware of the fact that the building has its own plans for all three of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, here is the second part of the series. Thanks to Aimofdestiny for the beta of it.

_"You have no idea how much this hurts, Claudia." Myka sobbed while looking into the mirror in her room. The redhead sat on the older agent's bed, carefully watching her, indecisive if she should walk over to hug her or give her the space she needed. All she could do was sit on her friend's blanket and watch her, while Myka absentmindedly stroked her flat stomach, following her hand with her eyes by staring in the cold glass of the mirror._

_"I was married to her, our daughter played between the aisles of the Warehouse, the feet of our unborn son kicking in the swell of my belly. I saw her taking care of Warehouse tasks while managing our family, looking at me with love and desire. I saw her surrounded by her friends, laughing with Pete and Steve or consulting you." A delighted smile formed on the brunette's face. "And now that I look at her, it's not the same. She's not happy and neither am I. She looks at me with the same desire and love, with the same interest and I can see in her eyes that she still wants to take care of me. But I can't talk to her about this. I can't reach her." Tears formed in Myka's eyes. "I can't tell her about anything that will happen. And all we do when we sit at those tables and drink our beverages, Helena: tea, and me: coffee, is talk about anything and everything while our hearts remain silent."_

_Claudia lowered her gaze to the ground when the older agent turned around. "I can't bear this silence anymore, Claudia. I want to yell at her. I want to yell at her and shake her and tell her to leave her home to be with me. But all I do is look into my mug and smile about those stories she tells me about Adelaide. All I can do is watch her eyes glow when she speaks about that girl. All I can do is stay and wait, while it eats me up inside."_

_________________________________________

Helena poured herself another cup of tea from her pot and took a small sip. She was sitting on opposite Myka in the only coffee shop in Univille. Her long black hair was restrained into a strict pony tail and she wore a grey wool jumper that the younger woman more than disliked on her. This in front of her was _so_ not H.G. Wells, Warehouse 12 agent, famous 'father' of science fiction, the strong but broken woman who once attempted to bring another ice age to the world. No, this was Emily Lake, who lived in the suburbs of Boone, Wisconsin and who worked at a small forensic laboratory when she wasn't at home taking care of her boyfriend and his daughter.

Myka stirred her coffee and watched the three bubbles on the black liquid swirl. This was their fifth meeting since Helena had called her on her mobile phone when the Warehouse agent had been in the diner in Texas.

Three months had passed since Myka's heart had pounded in her chest while she had nervously answered the phone call. Three months since Helena's thick British accent in Myka's ear had caused this warm feeling in her stomach. And now they sat here again. Again they shared silence, neither of them sure if this was awkward or comfortable. Myka didn't know Helena enjoyed being silent with the younger woman. It gave her a feeling of being safe, a little glimpse of a world she used to be part of and she desired to experience again, something she would never admit out loud.

On the other side, the nervous secret service agent, who had had an accident with an artifact eight months ago and travelled to their mutual future, where they were married and had a child. With every day that had passed since that accident, Myka had grown less certain if what she had seen had been real. Had it been just a dream? Had she really seen her daughter from a more distant future trying to save her life? Had she really watched the same girl, much younger then, lying on her bed in their home and drowsily asking her mothers to read her a story? Hadn't it just been a dream when she had pressed her lips onto her Helena's in those few seconds when she'd thought the time lines in which she could do that would be erased along with her memory?

And still... she could remember those lips pressed against her own, she could remember the taste of Helena's tongue and the warmth of her arms being wrapped around her. And there was the scar on her right shoulder which Myka still couldn't quite explain, even to herself. When her daughter had visited her time line, an older version of Myka herself inhabiting the curly-haired woman's body had gotten shot. After the disaster in the future had been prevented, the time lines had collapsed and everything that had happened was undone, which also meant the shooting and therefore the wound on Myka's shoulder. But the scar from the shooting wound was still there, even though the event that caused it had never happened.

That inexplicable scar was the only reminder of what had happened, the only thing she could hold onto that kept Myka alive between her doubt and insecurities about Helena's feelings.

And now they shared silence, awkward or not; it gnawed at Myka from the inside. She couldn't bear hearing Helena talk about the life she shared with her boyfriend Nate and his daughter in the suburbs of Boone. Helena likewise couldn't bear the agent's talk about the Warehouse - and since those were the only topics in their lives they both couldn't help but remain silent. The watch on the writer's wrist ticked rhythmically and Myka's spoon rattled against the porcelain of her mug.

"So." The brunette said and Helena looked up from her cup and smiled at her. "How's Adelaide?" Adelaide was the only topic they actually talked about. The girl was lucky to have Helena around and the writer was delighted by the girl.

"Oh, she's started taking violin classes, now. She asked to learn an instrument and she, Nate and I decided that violin is the one that we all like best. Now, a few weeks later I started regretting this decision because in unskilled hands, this instrument sounds horrifying." H.G. chuckled and rolled her eyes a bit, while Myka tried to fight against the feeling of a blade cutting through her chest.

The agent swallowed hard and looked up from her mug for a short moment just to drop her gaze towards the black liquid again.

"So, you're... you're hap-" Suddenly the younger woman's Farnsworth buzzed. Myka was sure she had never been happier about a buzz from this device in her life.

____________________________________________

Claudia Donovan stared silently at her computer screen. She had written a program designed to initialise a scan of all the electric devices in the Warehouse. Now she was about to test it for the first time. While watching the program's progress bar move ever-so-slowly, the redhead slouched into her chair and carelessly flung her feet on the table. She was alone in the Warehouse, except for Trailer lying under the table and causing rhythmic snoring noises. Abigail was in the B&B, trying to go through some bills. The future caretaker of the Warehouse just hoped the keeper of the inn wouldn't recognize that she, Claudia, was responsible for the very high total on the water bill last month. She had taken a few more showers, that was true. Pete and Jinks were on a mission. Claudia would have gone with Jinks instead of Pete but she had promised Artie to complete the program before the old man came back from his date with Vanessa. It was their first one since their break up, when Artie had thought someone else was after the attractive doctor.

And Myka... well, Myka had her _thing_ with HG. The two of them met occasionally for coffee. The young Warehouse agent was sure it was at least unhealthy for Myka, now that she had travelled through time to see herself married to the beautiful Brit. They were obviously in love, but neither of them had the guts to talk about it.

So Claudia had stayed in the Warehouse all morning, paying attention to one computer to see if there was any ping, watching her Farnsworth in case that Pete or Jinks had one of their usual accidents on the artifact hunt and needed her to rescue their asses, and working on her scanning program. If this program worked, they would never have to do a manual check up on the Warehouse's hardware again. Instead it would just be a press of a button.

As the progress bar completed and the program asked for input, Claudia congratulated herself for being the smartass she was, leaned forwards, and typed 'RUN' into the console. An electrical hum went through Artie's office and then through the whole Warehouse. Claudia was proud; her program was actually working. Well, of course it was working, after all, she had programmed it.

Clusters of numbers and words ran over the screen of her computer, logs were formed, data was collected and after a few seconds, the electrical hum increased and Claudia frowned, a little confused. Then, a flash of lightning from the Warehouse brightened her face. That was not supposed to happen. There shouldn't be any lightning at all - and this hum was already far too loud for the taste of the redhead's ears. Then, to make matters worse, one of the fuses on the wall behind her exploded with a loud bang and a shower of sparks and the girl started panicking in earnest.

"No!", she yelled, scrambling to get out of her chair. Trailer had already stood up and was now barking at the fuses, which one after another exploded, each bang louder than the last, in a veritable cascade of sparks.

"No! No! No!" Claudia jumped up and down in front of those fuses, hoping her yelling would stop them. Instead there was one last zap and the whole Warehouse went black, including all computers and the red light of the microwave's time display in the small kitchen.

"FRAK!" The redhead yelled. Artie was gonna kill her. Grumps was definitely going to kill her. Claudia cursed herself. She had hacked into the servers of NSA, FBI and CIA and other agencies with three-lette names and now she was unable to produce a simple program? All it was meant to do was scan the Warehouse's electric devices! This was the point where she declared herself a big disappointment. Then she slowly made her way through Artie's office, with groping hands, because she couldn't see a thing in this darkness. After two steps, she tripped over Trailer, who whimpered indignant.

"Shush you!" She yelled at him. "Don't stand in my way while I am trying to solve this situation."

A few more steps in the dark and some painful contact with a shelf later, Claudia finally found the cupboard where they kept the emergency flash lights. She pulled one out and turned it on. The first thing she saw was Trailer's face. She could have sworn the dog was laughing at her.

With the flashlight's help, Claudia managed to make her way over to the desk again. The first thing she tried to do was to turning the computers back on again, just in case, of course without any success. Then she walked over to the wall of fuses and tapped her fingers against one of those fuses by the dim light her flashlight provided, which of course had absolutely no effect whatsoever on the current state of electricity loss in the Warehouse.

 _Have you tried turning it off and on again?_ Claudia asked herself and pulled the big lever next to those fuses. In reaction, nothing happened.

"FRAK! FRAK FRAK!" Claudia ranted into the darkness and pulled that lever a few times more with dying hope that it would actually help.

 _Okay, concentration._ She just had to replace all those fuses and find the error in the system and check if all the wires in the Warehouse were still intact and all of that until tomorrow evening because by then Artie would be back.

Suddenly, her Farnsworth buzzed and Claudia rolled her eyes. Of course. She walked over to her desk, opened the communication device and yelped when she saw Artie's face on the screen. Quickly she held the flashlight under her face so he could see her.

"Claudia! Is everything alright at the Warehouse?" The senior agent asked and the redhead nodded in reaction. "I have a strange feeling." He mumbled more to himself than to her. "A very strange feeling."

"Of course everything is alright. What should have gone wrong? My experiment with the scanning program? Of course not, Artie, it's running like Usain Bolt." The girl replied and tried to hide the nervous quiver in her voice.

"Why are you sitting in the dark?"

"Uhm... I am... I am in the dark vault, checking something. My perfect little program has scanned that the door opening device has in fact a malfunction and I had to check on it." Claudia lied. She was proud of how easily that came over her lips.

Artie's view rested a few seconds on her. "Then make sure that the Gooery is alright, too. Its electric system is connected to the dark vault's so they can work on in a case of a electricity loss."

Claudia's eyes widened. _The Gooery. Frak._ She hoped it wouldn't attempt to explode like the last time.

"Yeah, Artie. Of course this was the next step on my list. I hope Vanessa is enjoying her date with you?" Now the redhead tried to lead attention Artie's attention away from the Warehouse.

"Well, I didn't ask her, but the last time I've checked she looked quite happy." The older agent answered and frowned a little. "Maybe I should ask her. Do you think I should ask her?"

"No, I don't think so, love bear. But do you know what I am thinking? I am thinking you should go back to your date and spend more time with her than with me on the Farnsworth to make sure she's enjoying it." Claudia demanded.

"Are you trying to teach me-"

"Artie, go back to your date. Everything is under control." With these words, Claudia closed the Farnsworth and sighed. Trailer had placed his head on her knee and showed her his puppy eyes. "Oh Tray, I have no idea how to manage this. I can't ask Abigail for help, I'm sure she is already mad at me, Pete and Jinks are on a mission and the last person I would ask is..." She sighed again. "You know what? I will just ask Myka. Her super brain could actually help me thinking. She can't differentiate a fuse from a remote control, but I'm sure her pretty brain can do this eidetic thing with the electronic schematics so I won't have to carry them around with me. Is that a good idea, Tray? It is." Stroking the dog's head, Claudia opened her Farnsworth again, swapped to Myka's channel and called her. The brunette's face appeared on the screen faster than Claudia had expected it.

"Claud? Is anything wrong? Is it Pete? Has he had another accident with an artifact?" Myka asked, far more excited than she was supposed to be, since she had time off.

"Ehm, no Mykes. There is another problem... I did a thing." The redhead allowed her view to wander through the dark office and then to the Warehouse aisles. "Or maybe two or three. And I could use your help."

The older agent frowned. "What is it?" She asked.

"I may or may not have ruined the whole Warehouse's electricity system?" Claudia shrugged. "And now I may or may not be sitting in complete darkness, with only two hours' time until the Gooery explodes. And the worst part is that I suspect Artie has an idea of what I just did and will be breathing down my neck until tomorrow evening."

Suddenly HG's face appeared next to Myka's. The Warehouse agent looked a little distracted at the Brit and backed slightly up from her. The writer seemed completely oblivious to Myka's struggle with her.

"You did what, Claudia?" The Victorian asked with widened eyes. "Repairing the Warehouse's whole electricity system on your own would take at least two weeks. You have to scan for cable breakage, the old hardware has to be checked..."

"HG! Thank goodness you are around." Claudia blurted out in excitement. "You were an inventor back in the day and at least 70 percent of the Warehouse's hardware is as old as you!" The writer frowned at the girl. "So could you please forget your try to be super suburban mom of the year and instead be yourself and maybe come over and help me? I mean, us two, with Myka's eidetic memory? We could totally do this whole thing in five minutes or maybe please before Artie comes back...? Please HG." Claudia pleaded and watched Helena chew on her bottom lip. "Please."


	2. Chapter 2

_Claudia found Myka a few streets from the B &B, staring at an old abadoned house. The girl guessed that the two-storey house's walls had once been white but the paint had crumbled long ago. The weather had loosened some of the shingles on the high-peaked roof and turned the entire house a dirty grey._

_The frontyard was squalid; weeds grew from something that might once have been a gravel path. The fence was completely broken and rotted in places._

_"Wow." Claudia blurted out while approaching her friend. "What a mess."_

_Myka startled at the redhead's words and pressed her lips together until the formed a thin straight line. She gave the girl a pained look and nodded. "Yeah, it's a mess."_

_"It would take a lot of work to fix this. Well, I would think maybe it'd be easier to rebuild it entirely."_

_Again the older agent nodded and they both went silent. For a while they just stood, staring at the house and listening to the wind._

_"What exactly are we staring at?" Claudia asked after a while._

_"A house." Myka answered and went silent again. Her friend recognised the sad tone in her voice and pursed her lips. She didn't want to make a false step. It probably had something to do with the time travel - and Claudia didn't want Myka to become a teary mess again._

_"It's the house where Helena and I lived in the future I saw." The older agent explained after a while, almost to herself._

_Claudia smiled, her expression strained. "Right." She sighed. Was there a way to not get into this conversation? Too late, Myka had already started it._

_"It bothers me that she doesn't know anything about what happened. It bothers me that I'm the only one who can remember, because I am so, so conflicted." Myka's eyes met Claudia's and the girl took a step closer, gripped with an urge to hug her desperate friend._

_She raised her arms a bit, but Myka took a step back, defensive, with tear-filled eyes and a frown._

_"On the one hand I'm still mad at her - like I was eight months ago, when I wasn't even aware that I'm in love with her. I'm just so fucking mad at her for leaving the Warehouse and for leaving all of us, too, without showing any life signs. And then being like 'Aw, look, I suddenly live in the suburbs with a man and a child I barely know.' and expecting us to just accept it. I mean, I'm not mad about Nate or Adelaide. I'm mad about leaving us. Leaving me." The older agent paused, choking back tears._

_"I get that." Claudia simply said. She was mad at HG, too. Not as mad as Myka, probably, but still. It was like her family was incomplete, with Leena dead and HG gone._

_"On the other hand... I understand her. The Myka from the future explained it to me. HG needs to heal, and part of this healing is that she needs a break from us. To play house. I love her, I really do. And that's why I leave her be and let her have the time she needs. But the waiting kills me, Claudia."_

_"Have you thought about not meeting her for a while?" Claudia asked. Myka turned towards her, confused. "I mean, you were happy in those five months after your time travel and now that she stepped back into your life, well, you're a mess again. I'm concerned about you, Myka. This isn't good."_

_"It's because I don't know how to behave around her." Myka replied. "I want to take her into my arms and continue where we left off before the timelines collapsed. At the same moment I'm afraid of scaring her away. The person I want most is right in front of me, but I can't take her."_

_"You two so need to sit down and have a nice clear talk about this."_

_"Maybe. But I also know that it's important that she makes the first step, Claudia." Myka shook her head, wrapped her arms around herself._

_Now Claudia decided she definitely needed to hug her and to not let her get out of this. Myka needed someone to comfort her; the girl took no pleasure in the neccessity, but she did it anyway because she knew it was important that her friend didn't go through this alone._

____________________________________________________

The drive back to the Warehouse had been as silent as the whole coffee meeting. HG hadn't said a word. She seemed lost in thought while she fumbled with the paper cups on her lap. Claudia had mentioned that even the Warehouse's kitchen had lost energy. Claudia literally sat in complete darkness, so she had demanded coffee so she could fix this. Glancing at the writer once or twice while driving, Myka had noticed frowns wandering over Helena's face. When they had turned onto the Warehouse driveway, Helena's expression changed when she laid eyes on the building. Myka couldn't quite figure it out, but the writer's eyes were glistening, even though her eyebrows were still knit tightly. Helena looked rather conflicted about her own feelings about the Warehouse.

Myka parked the car in front of the Warehouse's door, stopped the engine, took a deep breath and looked at the Victorian writer, who was just about the leave the car.

"You don't have to do this, you know that?" The Warehouse agent asked and Helena looked into her eyes for just a moment, until she lowered her gaze and smiled shyly.

"I want to do it, Myka." Helena pushed her hand through her hair and took a deep breath.

"Claudia has asked me for help, so help her I shall. I see her as my friend and I'm always glad to help a friend. Also... it seems really quite important to me that the Warehouse has proper electricity. Who knows what might happen if it does not." With this, the writer opened the door on her side, left the car, placing the cupholder on the car's roof, and marched towards the Warehouses door. The younger woman followed her with her gaze for a few seconds, frowning. She wasn't sure if Helena really meant what she said. Myka also didn't know what to think about Helena's sudden change of heart where it came to the Warehouse. A quiet voice in the agent's brain suddenly piped up talking about the assumption that Helena was ready to come back, to join the Warehouse family again, to be with her and... Pictures of what Myka had seen in the future flashed through her head, showing her a happier place, a place she wished for. She sighed, shook her head and left the car. Myka couldn't really lose her head in thoughts about an uncertain future right now. If she had learned one thing from the time travel, then it was that the future was changable and not fixed. It didn't neccessarily mean anything.

All she knew was that she wanted this future badly. And that she didn't know how to get the woman into it. Who was now standing, hands on her hips, in front of this big building, gazing up to its roof. The raven on it stared back at the Victorian.

Moving quickly, Myka left the car and pulled out the remote to open the Warehouse's door.

"Well, then, um...welcome, I guess." She said and pressed a button, moving to stand next to Helena.

Nothing happened.

The agent stared at the device in her hand and shook it a little. Then she held it up and pressed the button again. And again, harder.

"Well, darling, if an action doesn't produce the expected reaction, I don't think it makes very much sense to repeat it again and again - in the exact same way, no less - and expect a different result." Myka heard the smirk in Helena's voice and rubbed the back of her neck.

"I was expecting this to be a bit more impressive." She admitted. "Since you're back after a long time."

She looked at the author, who barely suppressed a giggle. "I mean, not back back... just back to help."

Helena raised an eyebrow at Myka and turned to the Warehouse. "Well, I assume that since the Warehouse is currently lacking its electricity, the door opener doesn't work." She rather gracefully ignored Myka's nervous babbling. The agent, on the other hand, rolled her eyes. "You're right." She replied, putting the remote back into her pocket and pulling out her Farnsworth.

Claudia appeared on the screen. "So, well, Claud. We're here, but we can't get inside. The door opener doesn't work." Myka explained. The girl looked busy and didn't seem to be listening very closely.

"I'm having a bit of a situation here. I'm sorry. Can you two maybe find a way inside on your own?"

A flash of light brightened the screen for a second and the redhead's face disappeared.

"Claud, are you alright?" The older agent yelled at the screen. She sighed in relief when Claudia reappeared.

"What? Yes, everything under control." The girl coughed. "I tried to connect my laptop to the upper gooery control. Maybe not the best idea I've had in my life, connecting modern technology to antique spaghetti syndrome."

"Can you help us inside, Claud?" Myka asked. She could hear Helena walking over to the door and knocking softly on its sides.

"Maybe if I put that wire here instead..." The girl mumbled. Another flash. "Nope. I definitely shouldn't put that wire there. Note to self: Never put that kind of wire there again. I'm sorry, Mykes."

She looked at the screen. "I'm a little busy over here. You have H.G. with you. Let her do her Victorian inventor magic." The Farnsworth's screen went black, leaving Myka to curse while she closed it.

"Oh, please. Such harsh words for this small situation here? Really, darling." H.G. smiled, knocked on the wall on the left side of the door and finally nodded to herself.

"Small situation? Am I seeing this wrong? America's attic of supernatural dangerous things is currently out of energy, so its contents could possibly walk around wreaking all kinds of havoc while we're stuck out here, and our friend is still trapped inside?" Myka's voice sounded harsher than she wanted, but she was nervous and also a bit flustered by Helena's presence.

"Well, I rather doubt the bit where you said that we were stuck out here. There is a way in; I just had to remember where it was." The writer pointed at the spot where she had just knocked against the wall.

"You don't have your Tesla with you, by any chance?" She asked.

"I do." Myka answered sheepishly.

"Are you embarrassed about that?"

"Well, I'm not very happy about having taken it with me to our coffee meeting." The agent pulled out the specified object and handed it over to Helena.

"Darling, you're always on the job. Why in the world should you be embarrassed about that? I think it's quite an admirable trait of yours." The Victorian took the Tesla and stuck it between the leather of her belt and the fabric of her pants. "I shall need your Farnsworth as well." She bent a little to get closer to the spot next to the door and fumbled with it. Her fingernails found their way behind a hidden panel and with a quick motion, Helena opened what appeared to Myka to be... a hole with wires in it.

"Alright, I do hope this is the door opening system and not, say, the device that allowed McPherson to detonate the Umbilicus." She chuckled a bit and Myka wasn't sure if she was joking or not.

"If it is... I'm sorry." The writer looked at the younger woman. "Your Farnsworth, please."

Myka nodded and handed it over. "I hope you won't be angry at me; I need to destroy it a little bit." The inventor shook her head and opened the device's back to pull out a few wires.

"This is what we need."

Myka watched Helena connecting wires from the Farnsworth to those she had just found in the wall next to the door. The younger woman had no idea what the older one was doing. But she did recognise that smile on her face, making her heart pound harder in her chest. Was Helena actually enjoying this? Could it be that she wanted to do this?

The Agent shook her head. There was no time for her to struggle with her feelings towards Helena.

They had to help Claudia. Shouldn't they call Artie? Myka thought that this situation looked slightly dangerous. But then she remembered the time Pete, Claudia and her had caused some problems during their first year in the Warehouse and how glad they had been that Artie hadn't been there to judge them.

"There we go." Helena suddenly said. "Step back, Myka." The inventor stood up, pulled the Tesla from her belt and pointed it at the mess of loose wires that was hanging from the wall.

She covered the younger woman's body slightly with her own when she pressed the Tesla's trigger and the lightening shot from it. Myka's hand made light contact with the Victorian's left one and the agent swallowed.

The door opened with a click. Helena smiled proudly when she turned around to Myka. "It seems I might not be bad at this, even though I have been gone for rather a long while."

The older woman looked into the agent's eyes for a second. Myka was overwhelmed by the sensations of having Helena stand so close. She could almost feel her body on her own, although there was still a small gap between them. Her eyes strayed to the writer's parted lips for a split-second, then she forced herself to back off. Finally, she nodded. "Well, I'm looking forward to seeing how you plan to get through the retinal scanner."

"Are you trying to tease me?" The Victorian asked, handing the Tesla back to Myka.

"Maybe."

"Well, I feel at least challenged to impress you." Helena turned around and walked to the car to get the coffee cups from the roof. With a smile, she passed Myka, only to look into the black hole that was the Umbilicus. The writer swallowed hard, facing the darkness in front of her. Then she looked up at Myka and smiled shyly. "Shall we?"


	3. Chapter 3

_"My biggest fear is still changeing something." Myka mumbled. She sat on the floor next to Claudia's bed, her arms wrapped around her knees, her cheek resting on them._

_Claudia had been trying to do some paperwork. Myka had joined her because - as she said - she currently had a hard time being alone. So they sat there, the redhead on her bed, writing on forms and filling out paperwork; and her friend on the ground, staring at nothing, both of them silent._

_When the older agent had started talking, Claudia had put her files away with a sigh. She'd moved over to the edge of her bed, her legs dangling to the sides of Myka's shoulders, while she slowly carressed her friend's hair, waiting patiently for the brunette to continue talking._

_"I'm sure it's still the future I want for us, it's just... Just the fact that I know about it might make me act differently, and that could change something." Myka explained._

_"I'm sure that if you really love HG, and she really loves you, the outcome could maybe be a little bit different from what you've seen, Myka. But one thing will be the same: You are in love and you're gonna be together. What's important is that you actually try." Claudia wasn't sure if her speech was meant to comfort Myka or to express her own annoyance about HG and her tiptoeing around each other without admitting their feelings._

_"It's not only about us getting together, Claudia." Myka replied. "I know what I feel for her and I think I know what she feels for me, I guess... I think I know... I'm not sure anymore. She talks about Adelaide and seems happy." She buried her face against her knees._

_The redhead pressed her lips together. She was absolutely sure about the feelings these two women had for each other._

_"I'm worried about Sarah." Myka's voice was muffled. "She deserves to live, Claudia, she is such a wonderful child. I mean... she will be... probably..." A shiver went through the older agent's body._

_"And I know that it was an accident that she was born. What if my knowledge about these circumstances change future so much that she won't exist?"_

_Claudia sighed. "Myka, what do you know about Sarah's conception?"_

_"It will be an accident with an artifact in the Warehouse." Her friend looked up from her knees and shifted away from the bed's side to turn and face Claudia._

_"That's everything?"_

_"Well, yes. But I know Sarah, I know how she thinks, I know what it's like to hold her in my arms and I know who gave birth to her and..." Myka's voice trembled._

_"Myka, this doesn't sound to me like you know enough to change the fact that she'll exist. You don't even know what exactly will happen." The girl watched Myka rubbing her neck._

_"I know vaguely in which year it's going to happen."_

_"Vaguely, Myka, I don't think that's close enough to change anything." Claudia folded her hands in her lap. "I'm sure you worry too much. If you would stop thinking so much about what could go wrong, you could maybe even see what is going to be right."_

______________________________________________________________

After a few steps into the Umbilicus, the light from the door faded into blackness. Myka and HG were completely surrounded by solid darkness and the younger woman could hear Helena's breath coming faster and more ragged. Myka's hands groped on the ribbed walls until she collided with the pillar that she knew to contain explosive material.

"So, it doesn't work this way." She stated and started searching through her coat pockets for her mobile phone.

Helena hadn't said a word yet and the Warehouse agent was starting to get worried about her. "Are you alright?" She asked and felt the Victorian's shoulder collide with her own. The younger woman stopped her motions. Helena's hand stroked over the fabric of Myka's coat on her upper right arm, fumbling downwards and taking her hand. It was like electricity went through Myka at the touch - she feared, for just a second, that the older woman could see the tears in her eyes.

But then she remembered that it was completely dark and Helena probably couldn't see anything at all.

"I'm just... it's just..." The Victorian mumbled in between anxious breaths. "I don't like the dark." Myka could hear her swallow. "Not after being bronzed."

"After being bronzed?" She could feel Helena's cold and sweaty hand squeezing her own quickly but not letting go.

"I was frozen in the darkness, alone with my thoughts, for over a hundred years, Myka. It frightens me, I... I feel as though I am bronzed again and I'm afraid that I can't move anymore. I feel alone." Helena's voice was trembling and her breathing suggested that she was panicking. Myka forced herself to forget about all of her conflicting emotions about this woman for the moment and turned towards Helena. A friend needed her help now.

She let go of Helena's hand just to place both of hers on the author's shoulders and giving them a careful squeeze. "Helena, you're not bronzed, you're free and alright. You can move as much as you want." She could feel the older woman's tension through her coat. Myka shook her head slightly; this was unacceptable. She let her right hand wander to Helena's cheek to gently place her palm there. The writer gasped quietly under the contact.

"Do you feel this, Helena? This is my hand. This is me. I'm with you and you're alright. You can move. I'm here." She could feel the older woman relax under her hands and smiled a little. Then she cleared her throat. "And you're not alone, Helena. You have Nate and Adelaide to be with you. And you have friends, like me. You're definitely not alone." HG sighed at those words.

"I will show you that you're not alone, Helena." Myka went on. "But I need both my hands to do that. I need to find my phone, it has a flash light function." She could feel the older woman nod under her palm and let go to go through her pockets.

"I have one, too." The Victorian said. Myka could hear her move, the coffee splashing in its containers. "In my pocket." They were both busy for a few seconds and then the light of two mobile phones shone through the Umbilicus.

The Warehouse agent's eyes met the writer's and Myka smiled. "See?" She asked. "I'm here. I'm with you and everything is alright."

HG nodded, sniffing. It was brighter than before but the younger woman didn't want to point the flash light directly into the Victorian's face. She wasn't sure if she really had seen tears in Helena's face.

"Better?" She asked instead. Helena nodded slightly without meeting her eyes. The Warehouse agent waited a few seconds for the inventor to calm down and then smiled. "You wanted to impress me about the retinal scanner. Do you think you can still do that or did you lose your inventor skills in the darkness?"

The teasing helped. Helena narrowed her eyes and looked directly into Myka's. "I'm capable of going through a security system like this with a blindfold on and both hands cuffed behind my back."

The other woman snorted. "Show me."

With a quick motion, Helena grabbed Myka by her wrist and pulled her to the other end of the Umbilicus. There, she opened the Warehouse agent's free hand and placed her own mobile phone in it. "Hold this for me and point both flash lights at the retinal scanner, so I can see. I will be through this system faster than you can say 'Jules Verne'."

The door opened with a squeak. Myka wasn't sure how Helena had managed to open it but she was sure she would have been able to say 'Jules Verne' several times. She handed the phone over to its owner, and the cupholder, too. "Well, that was fast, but not as fast as promised." The Warehouse agent teased.

HG huffed. "It's open." She simply stated, turning around to walk into Artie's office. Myka smirked and followed her.

The office was as dark as the Umbilicus. They pointed the light of their phones into several directions and when their eyes met, the Victorian shook her head.

"Claudia?" Myka yelled and waited for a reaction from the redhead. When none came, Myka used the dim light of her phone to search for the emergency Farnsworth they kept in Artie's office.

A few button-presses later, the girl's face appeared on the screen. "Yes?" She asked.

"We're now in Artie's office. Where are you?" Myka pursed her lips.

"Well, I'm down in the Gooery, trying to get the thing running manually." Claudia explained. "I replaced the fuse for it upstairs and now I hope there's no faults in the Gooery's back up system so I can get at least this one thing running." The girl gulped. "Before it wants to explode like last time."

"Why would it want to explode?" HG asked. "It's not like it's blocked or the Neutralisation liquid's pressure is increasing without a reason."

"Because it's the Gooery, HG, and I'm sure Myka knows what happened the last time that this machine didn't run properly." The young agent replied. "I would be happy if you two would come down here. There are still flash lights in the cupboard, take a few of them and then get your asses down here! I need help."

With this, the girl ended the call. Myka sighed.

"She's still just the way I remember her." Helena raised a perfectly-arched eyebrow.

"She is just the best." Myka said and turned around to open the cupboard with the emergency flashlights.

In the light of their newly-acquired flash lights, they left Artie's office and stepped out onto the gallery.

The Warehouse was dark and Myka could only see as far into the vastness as her flashlight could illuminate. They would have to take a small walk through the nearer aisles to get to the Gooery. The Warehouse agent heared Helena sniff next to her. "What is it?" She softly asked.

"Apples."

"Hm?"

"I still smell apples." The writer explained. "The Warehouse still likes me." There was something in the Victorian's voice that made Myka think. She didn't sound like she disapproved of the fact that the Warehouse liked her. No, she sounded like she actually liked it. Myka turned to the inventor and studied her face. "What?" Helena asked like she felt caught.

"And we like this? Or do we dislike the fact that the place that you don't want to cross paths with anymore seems to like you?" Myka heard the sting in her own voice and regretted the question immediately.

Helena was having none of the Warehouse agent's passive aggressive teasing. She turned towards the Warehouse aisles and grabbed the gallery's balustrade. "I am here now, aren't I." She said with a harsh tone in her voice. "To help."

"Helena..." Myka sighed. She didn't want to hurt the woman, but her own anger about the fact that the Victorian had left her and the Warehouse family behind without saying a word... well, it was painful for her and even after all these months she still wasn't over it.

"No." HG interrupted her. "You're right. I ran away like a coward, that's right. But now I'm here. I'm here to help you and Claudia and that's enough."

Without another word, she turned towards the stairs and walked away, towards the Gooery.

Myka sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. What was going on with Helena?

She had no idea if the woman wanted to be at the Warehouse or not.

She had no idea if she enjoyed Myka's presence or not.

This whole situation was confusing and frightening and Myka was sure she couldn't bear all these questions in combination with Helena's presence.

Deep in thought, she followed the author, keeping her distance until they reached the Gooery.

"Claudia?" HG yelled as Myka showed up a few seconds after her.

"I'm over here." They heard the girl's voice and now they became aware of the dim light of a flashlight behind the dark shadows of the Gooery's gears.

With quick steps they crossed the room and found Claudia lying face-down on the ground, the flashlight between her teeth, her hands deeply thrust into a nest of wires spilling out of the Gooery's back side.

"Hello, Claudia." Helena said in a friendly tone of voice. She crouched next to the girl, holding out her hand. The redhead turned her face towards the hand hovering next to her and nodded once.

"HG." She said and her voice sounded everything but friendly. There was a coldness emanating from Claudia that made Myka shiver.

Helena looked at her outstretched hand, then pulled it back while swallowing. "So, what can I do?"

Claudia pulled her hand out of the tangle of wires, stood up, ignoring Helena and looked at Myka instead. "Ehm, could you please go up and get the Gooery's blueprint? I tried to work without it, but I'm not getting anywhere. We need your memory for this."

Myka nodded.

"The blueprints are somewhere in Artie's office, next to the kitchen." Claudia explained. "And make it quick, I don't know how much time we have left until..." She shrugged. " Big Ba-da-boom."

"Well, you called maybe..." Helena pointed her flashlight at her wristwatch and frowned. "Fourty minutes ago?" She shook her head. "No, this can't be right." The writer sighed and shook her wrist. "Oh no. My watch stopped."

"Important." Claudia commented.

"Well, maybe not important, but rather sad nonetheless. The watch was a present from Adelaide." Helena explained. Then she pulled out her mobile phone and looked at it. "Yes, you called an hour ago. And you said the Gooery would make attempt to explode in two hours' time, and I'm just trusting you with this statement, because I still do not understand why this would happen, but according to that we have around one hour left to get it running again."

Myka looked at her and then at Claudia. "Well, then let's get working."


	4. Chapter 4

_"The butterfly effect," Helena began, tossing Paul's used diapers in the trash. "Is an interesting part of time travel, Adelaide." The young woman sat on the loveseat next to the changing unit. She smiled, even while she held her nose to protect herself from the smell._

_"The common saying is 'The wing stroke of an butterfly in brazil could cause a tornado in Texas'. Well, this is not the best metaphor, because people always think of it like a snowball effect, which it isn't. The butterfly effect builds up over a longer period of time; it means that even the smallest change in a system can cause a very big change after enough time. The difference being that a single small cause need not accumulate into a bigger cause over time, but that a subtle alteration will cause the entire system to react differently to change." HG explained while wrapping the baby in front of her in a new diaper._

_"A system like time?" Adelaide asked. She opened the file on her lap and made a few notes. HG smiled. "Exactly." She closed Paul's clothing. "And you need this for which subject in college?"_

_"Physics." The girl replied. "The professor introduced us to time travel last week."_

_"And this is why we're watching Doctor Who the whole weekend?" The Victorian asked with a smirk while gently getting her son from the changing unit and placing him at her own shoulder._

_They walked down the stairs of the Bering-Wells house and Adelaide nodded. "Research." She stated and Helena raised an eyebrow. "For real. Seriously. This is totally for research!" The girl tried to convince her._

_They entered the living room, where Myka lazily lay on the couch, surrounded by a lot of pillows. She hugged Sarah to her pajama-clad chest, transfixed by the TV. When her momma entered the room with her brother, the girl smiled and raised herself up on her elbows._

_"Pauli!" She squealed._

_"Myka, love, did you know we're watching this show for college research?" Helena asked and carefully handed Paul over to her wife. Adelaide huffed and flung herself in the armchair while Myka shifted herself and Paul into a more comfortable position to nurse him._

_"Really?" She asked, all fake surprise and raised brows. "I thought we're watching this because you have never seen it and this is - how did Claudia put it? - 'A sacrilege that you, HG Wells, have never seen the most important show about time travel in existence.'"_

_"Well, Adelaide just convinced me we're watching it because of her college research." She turned to the the girl. "You should adjust your notes about the current episode. When you rescue your own ancestor by using time travel it doesn't produce monsters with giant wings who eat people. It can, however, change all of your own future, so that you might never even show up at the place where you rescue your relative. It's a paradox." HG took a seat in the loveseat next to the big couch and reached out her arms for Sarah, who was watching Myka and her brother. "Come here, darling."_

_Instantly the girl jumped over to her mother and HG wrapped her arms around her._

_"Did I just hear discussions about time travel on a lazy sunday in front of the TV?" A sudden voice behind HG and Sarah said. They both jumped and Myka rolled her eyes._

_"Claudia, did you just really 'Mrs Frederic' from the kitchen to the living room to bring the popcorn?" She sniped._

_"I 'claudia-ed', Myka. I 'claudia-ed' from the kitchen to the living room. God, people, after nine years you should know that I want this named after me." Claudia placed the popcorn on the coffee table and looked around, searching for a place to sit. "Wow, hello exposed breast," the caretaker mumbled and turned away from Myka to walk over to the loveseat. "HG, can you shift a bit? Thank you."_

_"We're watching Doctor Who, Claudia." Adelaide told her. "Of course we're talking about time travel."_

_"I heard something about college research." The redhead replied._

_"Well, you have to admit that it is a rather interesting subject." Helena said while caressing Sarah's dark curls._

_Claudia sighed. "Time travel and science discussion. This family is crazy. You're like the Addams Family for weird science stuff."_

_"The what?" The Victorian asked. The redhead rolled her eyes in reaction. "Oh man."_

_Myka and Adelaide looked at each other, giggling._

_"You need to catch up with a lot of things, woman who doesn't look anything like Morticia Addams." Claudia archly informed the writer._

_"Pete would be Fester." Adelaide laughed._

_"I liked the subject of our conversation better when it was about time travel." Helena replied._

_"Yeah, maybe we want to drop this subject and watch the show instead." Her wife shifted a bit and placed her son on her shoulder to pat his back. "No time travel." She said and gazed at Sarah._

_"Yeah, right." Claudia nodded and looked at the girl, too._

_HG bit her lip._

__________________________________________________

_"I still smell apples." Helena explained. "The Warehouse still likes me." There was something in the Victorian's voice that made Myka think. She didn't sound like she disapproved of the fact that the Warehouse liked her, no, she sounded like she actually liked it. Myka turned to the inventor and studied her face. "What?" Helena asked, looking like she was felt caught._

_"And you like that?" Myka wanted to know and started fiddling with her own fingernails._

_"Well, it's a nice thought; I'm still welcomed here." The inventor answered._

_The Warehouse agent sighed. "Helena, you will be always welcome here." Her companion shifted nervously. "Thank you, Myka." She replied while intensely studying her own shoes._

_"Well, I guess we should walk to the Gooery or Claudia might kill us." Myka interrupted the awkward silence between them. HG nodded forcefully._

_Close to each other, they silently walked through the few aisles that separated them from the Gooery._

_"Claudia?" Myka yelled. "I'm over here." They heard the girl's voice and only then became aware of the dim light of a flash light behind the dark shadows of the Gooery's gears._

_As they walked over, Claudia pulled her hands out of a mess of wires and smiled modestly._

_"HG. Thank goodness you're here." Excited, she shook the Victorian's outreached hand._

_"I wouldn't know what to do without you being back."_

_"I'm here to help you, Claudia." Helena replied and smiled at the powerful handshake._

_"And I appreciate it like hell."_

_"What can I do?" The inventor asked, hands on her hips._

_"Well, first I need Myka to get the blueprints I forgot upstairs and then you and I are gonna work through this mess of wires until we find the one that caused the problem. I scanned it, there is an electrical short somewhere in the system."_

_"And you haven't found out exactly where so far?" Helena asked._

_"Nope." She turned to Myka. "I need these blueprints like yesterday, if you could memorise them on your way down, I would be grateful forever. As fast as possible, because I don't know how much time we have left until ...Big Ba-Da Boom."_

_"Well, you've called like..." Helena pointed her flash light at her wristwatch and frowned. "Foruty minutes ago? No, this can't be right." The writer sighed and shook her wrist. "Oh no! My watch stopped."_

_"Well, we can replace the battery later, when we're done cleaning up the mess I caused." Claudia replied._

_Helena nodded. "I hope it's just the battery, because this was a present from Adelaide." She pulled out her mobile phone while Claudia looked at Myka, alarmed._

_"Yes, you called an hour ago." HG stated. "So you said the Gooery would make an attempt to explode in two hours, and I'm just trusting you with this statement, because I still can't explain why this would happen at all, meaning we have roughly one hour left to get it running again."_

_Myka raised an eyebrow and sighed. "Well, then I will play the coffee and data delivery for you two." The agent walked out of the door and the two women looked after her._  
_____________________________________________________

"Okay." Claudia began flatly. "There's an electrical short somewhere in the system. I've been analysing the wires with my scanner. Haven't found the source yet." HG nodded her understanding.

"So it'd be best if you pull the wires out one after another so I can scan them." The girl walked over to her hole of wires and reached for her big and apparently heavy scanning device.

"Alright." The Victorian kneeled down next to the wires and carefully pulled out the first wire. The future caretaker of the Warehouse held the device over it and they waited in awkward silence until the device blinked. Claudia shook her head in disapproval. "Not the right one." She said.

The inventor sighed and pressed the wire back into the hole. "So, not the red one."

The next wire was also not the right one.

While HG pulled out the third wire and Claudia adjusted her scanner, Helena decided to talk to her. "Claudia?"

"Yes?"

"Do we have a problem?" The writer asked bluntly. Claudia stopped mid-button-twiddle.

"Oh, sharp observation, Sherlock. Did your manipulative vein help you with this?"

Helena looked hurt. "Claudia, I'm here to help you."

The girl sighed. "I know that you're here to help me and I appreciate it. Thank you for briefly coming back and helping me, HG. God, where's Myka with the blueprints?"

They went back to work, until the author shook her head.

"I'm here... because... I'm here because I consider you as a friend, Claudia. And I thought you see yourself as my friend, too." She now looked intently at the redhead, whose face changed to a softer expression. She finished scanning the current wire and spoke.

"Of course I am your friend, HG. But as your friend it is my right to be mad at you."

"Mad at me?" Helena looked surprised.

"Yes. I'm mad. I'm mad as hell." Claudia shook her head, gesturing for HG to grab the next wire. "You left us, HG, to play house with a random guy somewhere in the suburbs. And while doing that, you thought it was a good idea to not show any signs of life. Do you know how afraid we were that something could have happened to you? Do you know how... worried Myka was? And what a mess she was when she came back from Boone because you hurt her? You have no idea how hurt she was."

Helena let go of the wire she was holding and stood up. "I hurt Myka? What are you talking about? She literally sent me away that day! Told me to fight for Nate and set the things that happened that day with him right."

"Well, she obviously thought she was doing you a favour with this. You let the person you love go if she asks for it."

The Victorian outright gaped at that revelation.

"We're a family, HG, and that's what you do in families. You try to find out what's the best for the people in your family and act so they won't get hurt." Claudia went on. "You're apparently in love with this Nate guy, so Myka decided that you should be with him and that's what she told you to do instead of admitting to you that we all want you to come back."

Helena was speechless. She simply stared at the redhead for a few seconds. Then she gathered herself enough to crouch back down again in front of the wires to pull one out. Claudia scanned it silently.

"I'm not in love with Nate." The writer said after a while.

"Quelle surprise." Claudia replied. "You're not? Why are you living with him?"

"Firstly." Helena answered. "I'm not living with him anymore. We broke up three months ago. I'm living in a hotel near Boone and Adelaide visits me a lot. We still do a lot of things together because Nate and I decided that it's the best for the girl."

The future caretaker made a suprised noise.

"And secondly, Myka was right, it was all about Adelaide. But I'm not chasing ghosts, Claudia. Adelaide is special and she means a lot to me."

"So you broke up with Nate?" Claudia simply asked.

"Yes."

"Three months ago?"

"Yes..."

"And that was when you called Myka for the first time?"

"Yes, but... not... I didn't want to hurt her, if you're trying to tell me this. I felt alone and I... I'm afraid to tell her because it seemed so important for her that Nate and I get along with each other." The writer explained her behaviour.

"You and Myka are the biggest idiots I've ever witnessed in my whole life." The redhead rolled her eyes.

"Pardon me?" HG asked, appalled.

"Nothing. Next wire, please." Claudia pointed her scanning device at the hole.

Now the scanning device beeped quietly and HG and the girl looked at each other.

"So, the blue one it is." The inventor said.

"Yep, now all we have to do is wait for Myka to come back with those damn blueprints so we can see which system the blue wire belongs to that has an electrical short."

They didn't have to wait long; Myka showed up a few seconds later. "Bad news." She said.

"Do you have the blue prints?" Claudia asked hopefully.

"Yes, on paper and in my head." The older agent nodded. "But on my way I smelled fudge."

Claudia and HG looked alarmed at each other.

"Apparently, the first artifacts are running wild." Myka went on.

"What exactly did you witness?" Helena asked.

"Well I also heard something." The younger woman replied. "The noise of an... an elephant." She shook her head. "Weird. And a quiet voice calling my name."

Claudia's eyes widened. "Creepy!"

"A voice calling your name?" The Victorian mumbled to herself. She looked at Myka. "Male or female?"

"Female." The Warehouse agent replied. "Young."

"It's not getting any less creepy." The redhead stated. "Let's get this Gooery running."


	5. Chapter 5

_Helena felt that the clocks in Nate's house were ticking more slowly. Life was less hasty and more calm when she was with him and with Adelaide. And it felt so good._

_But now, in this moment, time passed not like water running towards the sea but like honey flowing off a spoon. Slowly. Tediously. The clock on the wall ticked loudly, almost mockingly, while Nate pursed his lips, sitting in his armchair, both hands placed on the armrests. The Victorian was sure she couldn't bear the dissappointed look on his face, so she dropped her gaze to the ground. It felt wrong. She was unable to hold up her head and look at him, and she was ashamed._

_They had both come to a conclusion. Helena still needed to 'influence' Nate , so she had to rein in her need to be in charge and instead let him talk for once. Her hands folded in her lap, she sat on his opposite and waited for him to form the words he wanted to speak._

_"Emi- Helena." He shifted forwards in his chair and rubbed his forehead. "We both know this isn't working for us."_

_He held up his hand when she opened her mouth to reply. "No, seriously, Helena, don't try to deny this. We can't to work this out. I know this and you know this, too. Talk will not help here."_

_Nate was right. She knew that he was right, but she was afraid of the consequences. Afraid to make this any worse, she remained silent, listening to the clock ticking and waiting for him to speak on._

_"It's like you're pretending to be someone you are not, Helena. And the interesting thing about this is that you actually did exactly that." He snorted. "I don't even know who you really are. I'm sure you told Adelaide, but somehow you don't see me as a person worth telling." There was a certain tone in his voice that made Helena shiver. He was hurt._

_"Nate, that's not right. It's just..." The writer paused for air. "I can't... I can only tell one person."_

_"And that's Adelaide. Not me." Nate stated and HG felt caught._

_"You don't understand." She replied. "For the first time in..." She paused. "A very long time I feel like I belong."_

_The man shook his head. "Yeah, but not to me."_

_Her eyes widened in horror. "Nate!"_

_"Ever since Adelaide was kidnapped, ever since those agents were here - I know that there is a place where you really want to belong, Em. And that is the place where you don't have to pretend like you're Emily Lake."_

_Helena bit her lip and closed her eyes. She didn't want to think about what he'd just said. Forcefully, she wiped that name from her mind, the name which had sprung up unbidden in her head. No. She replaced it with another name, one that seemed far more important, now that Nate was literally breaking up with her. She wished the break up would hurt her more than it did. She wished that losing this man was her real problem and not losing his daughter._

_He seemed to have watched her face move for a while, because now he spoke again, this time in a tone of voice that seemed to be more businesslike._

_"I think it'd be best if you moved out." She stared at him after his words, mortified. "No, don't be afraid." Nate looked thoughtful for a moment; then he shrugged. "I know how important you are to Adelaide. And I know how important Adelaide is to you. I don't think I could allow myself to take you out of her life." His face softened. "But, Em, there is no more 'us' for us to go back to. Please. Just pack up your things and... we can talk about meetings between you and Adelaide later."_

_An hour later Helena sat in her car, with all her belongings in the trunk. Before starting the car, she stared at Nate's house. She had really tried hard to belong. She had been so sure about this. Even Myka had told her to fight for Nate and now he had sent her away, too. The person who knew her better than anyone else had sent her away once. And now she hadn't even been able to salvage the relationship that person had sent her to. The writer forcefully tried to wipe Myka's face from her mind. She would be so disappointed._

_The scent of apples emerged from the car's air freshener. Helena closed her eyes and fought back the tears that stung at their backs. Her forehead rested on the steering wheel. There had been another place where she had tried so, so hard to belong. In the end, they didn't have to send her away. She had walked away from that place. She couldn't even begin to think about trying to ask them to take her back. She vehemently denied the thought that this was the place where she really belonged._

_This would not do. The Brit swallowed down her tears and pulled her head back from the steering wheel to start the car. She moved the vehicle from the car lot on Nate's property and shot a last glimpse at it. She would spend the night in a hotel and then she would make plans about talking to Nate regarding meetings with Adelaide._

___________________________________________________

"Okay, HG." Claudia spoke to the opened Farnsworth next to herself. Myka stepped away from the redhead in front of the fusebox and bit her lip. She really hoped that this would work. "I'm pulling the lever and you tell me if the Gooery starts working again."

"Alright. I will tell you." The inventor replied through the Farnsworth. Claudia and Myka shot a nervous glimpse at each other. Then the girl pulled the lever next to the fuses for the Gooery's and the Dark Vault's electricity. An electrical hum emerged from the Farnsworth, followed by the noise of a working machine.

"It's doing its work!" Helena yelled over the loud noise. "We did it! Finally. It's alright, Claudia, the neutralisation liquid machine is working again."

Myka and Claudia both squealed in relief and raised their arms towards the ceiling. Then they exchanged a quick fistbump.

The redhead picked up her clipboard from the desk. She turned to face the fuses as she spoke. "Okay, that leaves the light, the control for the ropeway, and..." She sighed. "The artifact disturbance sensorics."

Myka groaned, annoyed, behind her.

"Well, yes. This will be the hardest part, because the whole Warehouse is basically the artifact disturbance sensorics. We have to change all the fuses and then... well, basically scan the whole Warehouse for cable breakage. What an awesome task." The redhead paused. "That's no reason to come so close and breathe into my neck, Myka."

"I'm not anywhere near you or breathing into your neck, Claudia." The older agent replied. She was currently stood at Artie's desk, changing the batteries of her flash light.

Claudia gulped and then turned around slowly.

Myka dropped her flashlight at the girl's high pitched scream. She jumped forwards to attack whatever the reason for this panicked reaction was, but stopped in reaction to Claudia's far more panic filled voice. "Mrs. Frederic!"

Myka groaned at the name. Of course Mrs. Frederic had sensed that there was something wrong in the Warehouse. Of course their attempts to set this right wouldn't be unrecognised by the Warehouse's caretaker. Well, now Claudia was in big trouble. Because surely Mrs. Frederic would call Artie and Artie would really give it to Claudia straight. As the closest thing she had to a father figure, this was part of his job.

The caretaker's voice was soft and in thought. Mrs. Frederic seemed to be absent-minded.

"Something is off." She said.

"Yeah." Claudia replied nervously. "Apparently... the whole Warehouse. Well, except for the Gooery, and maybe the Dark Vault, if Myka and Helena could be so nice and check on it?"

"I will as soon as Mrs. Frederic has told us what she wants to tell us." Myka said, more to the Farnsworth than to Claudia.

"No." Mrs. Frederic said. "I've been completely aware of the Warehouse's electricity problems for hours now. There's something different going on." She stepped back from the young agent and walked towards the Warehouse's gallery.

"Mrs. Frederic?" Myka asked concerned. "Is everything alright?"

"I don't know yet." The eldery woman replied and left the room through the door. Myka and Claudia exchanged a worried look.

Myka looked at Helena on the screen of the redhead's Farnsworth. "I'm coming down to you in a minute, Helena. But I want to make sure that Mrs. Frederic is alright."

The inventor nodded. "I will wait here for you, Myka. It's a good thing my watch is working again so I can keep an eye on the time. Make it quick, so I won't remember that it's still very dark down here." There was a nervous undertone in her voice.

The Warehouse agent nodded and closed the Farnsworth. She looked at Claudia, a little startled. Then the two of them followed the caretaker to the Warehouse's gallery.

"What is it, Mrs. F?" The girl spoke with a nervous tremble in her voice, positioning herself next to Mrs. Frederic, who leaned on the banister. The woman seemed lost in thought, staring into the darkness of the Warehouse aisles.

"I don't know yet." She said again in her monotonous voice. "It just feels different. Don't you feel it too, Claudia?"

The redhead took a moment and looked around. Myka assumed, she tried to 'feel' the Warehouse's mood. But she wasn't sure since she didn't know at all how the relationship between the Warehouse and Mrs. Frederic or the relationship between it and Claudia worked or felt like. After a few seconds, Claudia shrugged. "To be honest, no. Warehouse feels all the same. A little childish, a little moody, a little still wanting to get my attention. Being currently completely out of energy and all. But I don't really feel it being out of energy. Just normal, Warehouse-y feels."

Mrs. Frederic didn't say a word but kept staring at the darkness of the aisles.

"At least it doesn't feel like it's completely mad at me for turning it off by mistake. And not on purpose. Totally by accident. Like it wasn't my fault, but a thing that happened by mistake and nobody should be mad at me for this." Claudia babbled.

Myka grinned a little in reaction.

"I can't put my finger on this feeling." Mrs Frederic finally said. Then she pulled back from the banister and faced the young Warehouse agent.

"I already called Arthur."

The girl groaned and buried her head in her hands. "I know that you are supposed to do that, and that I was supposed to do it the second I found out what happened. But I was kinda hoping to solve this on my own." She turned her head and glared at Myka. "Or with your and HG's appreciated help."

"Don't be a silly girl, Claudia." The caretaker replied. "We all know that it is important that the Warehouse has proper electrics. Arthur will just help you to set this right."

"And then he will yell at me." The redhead assumed.

"This is not something I can stop him from doing. But that's not important. Important is that you make it run again." Mrs. Frederic spoke.

"Yeah, Helena and Claudia did a good job already on the Gooery... and maybe the Dark Vault. I don't know. We will know this as soon as Helena and I have checked on it." Myka nervously shrugged.

The caretaker tilted her head, looking confused. "Agent Wells is here?"

"She's no Warehouse agent anymore." Claudia furrowed her eyebrows. "Mrs. Frederic, remember? She kinda tried to blow up the world and then the whole hologram thing happened and then Artie's time travel and then..." She sighed. "Leena's death and then, HG left us." The girl shook her head. "What I wanted to say is... that... yes... HG is here."

Mrs. Frederic squinted her eyes at Claudia. "You're right. Miss Wells is no longer a Warehouse agent."

Myka's stomach suddenly ached at those final words. She pressed her hands into fists.

"I was just a little absent-minded." The caretaker spoke on. "I still don't know what this feeling means."

"Yeah." Claudia shrugged. "How about we actually try to fix the rest of the Warehouse's problems. Best case, we manage before Artie arrives and then we'll see if this 'feeling' is still there, Mrs. F?"

The older woman looked at her. "That sounds about right." She let her view wander towards the darkness of the Warehouse aisles one last time. "What will be your next step?"

"Uhm... The lights still aren't working." Claudia looked up the the currently invisible ceiling. "Obviously. And we have a problem with the artifact disturbance sensorics. They are... off, too. Like... everything is off. Which I want to give another emphasis about not being my fault."

"Claudia." Mrs. Frederic said.

"Yeah, and I wanted to go downstairs to Helena and check on the Dark Vault with her." Myka spoke.

"Well, then." Mrs. Frederic again used the door to enter Artie's office. Myka and Claudia exchanged another concerned look. "I'm willing to help as much as I can until Arthur is here."


	6. Chapter 6

_"So have you called her?" Adelaide asked, moving her black knight on the chess board. She and HG sat in the park; the writer was really impressed with the progress of the girl's chess skills. Since Nate and the Victorian had ended their relationship, she and Adelaide were spending some of their afternoons together like this. HG enjoyed these meetings with Adelaide. They gave her a feeling of safety._

_Helena stared at the board and tried to find a way to save the white queen from her. The girl was playing an interesting game._

_"Hm?" The inventor asked absent-mindedly, trailing her fingers over the board to rest on her queen._

_"Uhm... Agent Bering? What was her name? Myka." Adelaide replied casually._

_Helena dropped the queen she had just picked up. Quickly, she put the chess piece back where she'd picked it up. Eyes wide, she stared at the girl in front of her._

_"Have you?" Adelaide asked again._

_"Why should I call her? W-What are you talking about?" The writer stuttered, dropping her gaze to the chess board. "Look, your knight has my queen threatened, I'm impressed."_

_"I know, I've studied a few chess guides on the internet." Adelaide leaned back in her chair to survey Helena, who bit her lip while trying to get the white queen out of her misery. "So I conclude you haven't called her?"_

_"No. Why should I?" The Victorian moved her queen. "Safe." She proclaimed._

_"I think you should call her." Adelaide made no attempt to go back to playing._

_"It's your turn." Helena suggested._

_"I know. But I would really prefer talking to you about this."_

_The writer rolled her eyes. This child was too stubborn for her own good. "Very well. We shall talk. No, I haven't called Myka Bering and I really don't know why I should do this."_

_Now it was the kid's turn to roll her eyes. "Oh, I don't know." She said innocently. "Maybe because you're totally in love with her?"_

_HG's jaw dropped._

_"Oh, Hel. Don't gimme that look. We both know that dad and you weren't really in love - even though you liked each other- and when we met those secret service agents, I realised why. It's very sad that it took you so long to realise this. I was really worried about you."_

_The writer stared at the girl, mouth open, her eyes wide in horror._

_"Okay, you keep staring at me like this." Adelaide shrugged._

_"You're eleven years old!" Helena blurted out._

_"Yes I am, but apparently I'm an eleven-year-old girl who is sharing some kind of strange step-mother situation with the H.G. Wells." The girl grinned._

_The Victorian's confusion turned into a feeling of being proud._

_"So, are you planning to call her?" Adelaide wouldn't let the topic go._

_"I still don't know why." Helena looked hurt. "She sent me away the day they showed up in Boone."_

_The girl snorted and rolled her eyes again. "Grown-ups." She said and then leaned forwards in her chair. "How about just trying? Meeting her? I've heard something about a meeting for a coffee date."_

_"Adelaide..."_

_"I mean what could happen? Worst case, she realises she's totally in love with you, too. And that sending you away was one of the biggest mistakes in her life..." Adelaide spoke casually._

_"Adelaide!"_

_"Yeah, I mean that must totally suck. Also it's probably not very possible considering her body language the day she was here." The girl ignored Helena's objection._

_"Adelaide!" The writer now almost yelled._

_"Yeah, that would totally be horrifying. It could actually happen that two people in love might in fact become a cou- Helena, just call her already!" Now Adelaide desperately raised her hands over her head._

_The inventor took a deep breath. "Alright." She spoke slowly. "I will call her. Happy? So let's go on playing. It's my turn."_

_"Actually..." The girl looked on the chess board. "Actually it's my turn. And how about calling her right now?"_

_Helena stole a glimpse at the watch Adelaide had given her not very long ago. It had a golden back and a black dial. "I can't call her now. She's probably busy on a mission."_

_"Or she's not on a mission and very happy for you to call her. Finally. After more than five months." The girl crossed her arms._

_"Adelaide, I promise I will call her." The inventor said emphatically._

_"Yeah, I don't know. Maybe I should call her instead. 'Agent Bering? It's Adelaide, remember me? Did you know Helena is madly in love with you?'" Adelaide spoke into an imaginary phone in her hand. Then she jumped up from her chair and quickly reached into the Victorian's purse to pull out her cell phone. She ran away over the freshly mowed lawn of the park._

_The inventor's eyes widened, mortified. She jumped up from her chair to chase the girl. "Adelaide!" After a few minutes of playing catch, they both lay on their backs on the grass, laughing. Quickly, Adelaide reached out to hand Helena the phone. "Call her." She said. "I'm here and I will hold your hand or something, if you need support."_

_Helena loudly inhaled air and took the phone. She shot a glimpse at the girl next to herself and then called Myka's number. After some time, the Victorian heard the voice she had longed for and took Adelaide's hand._

_"Yes?"_

_"Myka!" Helena said, heart fluttering in her chest. "I was just thinking about you and I thought that maybe we could share that promised coffee." Adelaide softly squeezed the inventor's hand. "If you don't mind, I would prefer to see you like this instead of bump into each other in some kind of artifact related case again."_

________________________________________________

Myka stepped back from the Dark Vault's door and spoke to her Farnsworth. "Yes, Claudia, the Dark Vault's system is alright, too. So we don't have to worry about those artifacts."

On the screen, the redhead shot a nervous glimpse at Mrs. Frederic next to herself. "Phew. I'm glad that we don't have to worry about that, too. So, Mrs. F and I are currently working on the light. Come up here, so you can help us."

The Warehouse agent nodded and looked over at Helena, who nervously pointed her flash light in different directions of the aisle they were currently standing in. "We're on our way." Myka closed her Farnsworth.

"Are you alright?" She asked the inventor.

"Yes, everything is fine. I'm grateful for having my flashlight." The Victorian mumbled nervously.

"Okay, then. Let's go back to Artie's office." The warehouse agent suggested and started walking. Helena followed her, keeping a short distance. Myka sighed. How could shebest handle being trapped like this with the other woman? She had no idea how to deal with the urge to talk with her. _We were married!_ It screamed inside her. _We had a daughter! I need you to come back to me. I need you to be with me. I love you._

But Myka didn't express her feelings. Instead, she hoped she could make it through this day by suppressing the pain inside her chest. She had done it that day in Boone and now, she could do it too. The fear of frightening Helena away was too big.

"Myka?" The Victorian suddenly said, closing the distance between them, walking very close to the Warehouse agent now. Helena's tone of voice showed that she had been thinking and was now about to ask something important.

Myka swallowed and lowered her gaze to the ground while keeping on walking. Her heart jumped in her chest. "Yes?" She asked, trying to give her voice an innocent tone. She was sure she failed on that.

"That day I've called from Boone... have you... were you... hap-" Suddenly a small object hit the inventor's head and she jumped, rubbing the spot where she had been hit with her palm. "Ouch!"

Myka stopped walking and stared up to the ceiling. In the dim glow of her flash light she could recognise some smaller shadows jumping around the Warehouse shelves.

"Oh god, Helena! Those are animals!" She yelled.

"Animals? In the Warehouse?" Helena asked, suprised, and pointed her flashlight in the same direction. "How? They shouldn't manage to enter it!"

"Animals aren't able to enter the Warehouse." Myka said calmly. "But there are several artifacts that could have caused a stampede of animals. Pete and I once snagged an artifact in a zoo... you better not ask." She looked towards the ceiling with interest when another object was dropped. She stepped aside to avoid being hit by it. Something giggled loudly. The smell of fudge now hit Myka like a barrel of bricks to the olfactory nerve. She observed a shadow, which was jumping up and down on the higher parts of the shelf while throwing objects and giggling.

"Oh, no. Those are monkeys!" The Warehouse agent yelled.

"Oh, this could get interesting." The Victorian smirked.

"No! Monkeys are hell. Monkeys spit, Helena. They spit!" Myka shuttered. "Oh god, I hope there are no cheetahs!"

"What is it with the cheetahs?" Helena asked suprised.

"I don't want to talk about this!" The younger woman said, her tone strict.

Suddenly there was a loud and brief droning noise. Both women spun on their heels towards the source of the noise and pointed their flashlights into its direction.

"Oh bugger. Is that an...?" The Victorian's voice was suddenly filled with panic. Her hand gripped for Myka's. The Warehouse agent noted this for a second but she couldn't concentrate on it, because her mind was occupied with the big grey mass looming in front of them.

"It is." Myka replied and stepped back a little. "Don't make any sudden movements, Helena."

The elephant collided with one of the smaller shelves and knocked it over. All artifacts which had been stored inside it fell out. The noise of clattering objects was so loud that Helena and Myka instantly held their hands over their ears. The cacophony of rolling artifacts caused the animal to panic. It quickly turned around and approached the two women with big steps.

Helena produced a high-pitched squeal that clearly showed she was starting to panic.

"I have just changed my opinion about the sudden movements." Myka quickly said, her widened eyes facing the jumbo-sized animal quickly approaching them. "Run!" She yelled and grabbed Helena by the wrist. "Run as fast as you can. And take sidesteps or something." Both women quickly turned around and started running. They turned right into the next aisle to be out of the elephant's way. The animal was clearly in a panic and while running away from the one shelf it had knocked over it hit several other shelves, which one after another proceeded to fall down, causing a turmoil of noises, wood splinters and falling artifacts.

Myka let go of Helena's wrist. "You run left, I run right!" She yelled and turned right. "We're going to confuse it."

"Meeting in front of Artie's office, if successful!" Helena replied and ran in the other direction.

"When successful!" The Warehouse agent shouted.

"We make a great team!" Myka thought she could hear the Victorian smirk while running. Myka vaulted over an old armchair to hide behind it.

"Bering and Wells!" She heard Helena's voice from some different aisle. "Solving puzzles, being chased by bloody animals. Through the Warehouse!"

"It's not funny, Helena!" Myka yelled at her.

"It's a bloody elephant, Myka. In the blasted Warehouse!" The Victorian ranted. "I know there's nothing bloody funny about it."

There was a brief pause in which Myka could only hear the turmoil caused by the animal.

"Are you alright?" The inventor's voice shouted again.

"I'm currently safe behind an armchair." The Warehouse agent answered loudly.

"Good. Because... apparently, it's in my aisle." Helena yelled.

"Get yourself out of there!"

"That's indeed my plan, darling. But, well. It seems that I've been rather lucky and entered the only Warehouse aisle in existence that is a dead end." The writer laughed nervously.

"Oh god, Helena!" Myka jumped out of her hiding spot.

She quickly ran towards the direction from which she heard Helena laughing. "Do you think you could tesla it?" The Brit asked, obviously full-on panicking now.

Suddenly, there were louder noises, followed by a loud creak.

"Oh thank goodness." Helena yelled.

"Is everything alright?" Myka demanded to know.

"I think I got it. I threw a random artifact at it and it seems to be frozen now. Thanks to the person who turned an actual icicle into an artifact, even if I can't tell anymore whose this has been. Since the whole shelf got knocked over." The Victorian spoke, relieved.

"I'm coming over, Helena." The Warehouse agent replied.

"Yes. Thank you."

Myka walked through the aisles in search of Helena when she suddenly again heard the voice of a young girl. "Mommy?"

"Sarah?" The brunette said and spun on her heels. She pointed her flash light in the direction that she thought contained the source of that voice. For the blink of an eye she saw the shadow of a girl. Myka jumped in reaction and supressed a scream. Then there was just the empty Warehouse aisle.

The Warehouse agent swallowed.

"Are you almost there?" Helena asked, concerned.

"Uhm, yes, I'm coming." The younger woman turned around the next corner and found the frozen elephant. It was completely covered in ice, an icicle stuck to its forehead. In front of it stood HG, hands on hips, trying to catch her breath.

Suddenly, the Warehouse's lights turned back on. Myka squinted her eyes at the brightness of the light.

"Well, at least that is working again." The Victorian smirked.

"Yes." Myka nodded. She looked at the elephant. "Good job."

"Thank you. I'm glad you're alright."

Another creaking noise emerged from the frozen figure. Myka and HG shot a panicked glimpse at each other. "Okay." The younger woman said. "To Artie's office, quickly. I want to know what kind of artifact caused this and then I want to cover it in goo as fast as possible."


	7. Chapter 7

_Myka's hands gripped the bed sheet tightly as she pressed her hip into her wife's hand. The brunette's head was thrown back, her knuckles white and she let out a loud moan. She felt Helena slowing down the motions of her right hand, her mouth busy covering the younger woman's neck with warm and soft kisses. The Victorian smiled into her neck as Myka inhaled audibly, coming down from her high._

_"Well." The curly haired woman said after a few minutes of just breathing and listening to her own heartbeat. "That's a nice way to begin a Sunday without the children."_

_"Even though this Sunday includes an artifact hunt." Helena replied. She slowly let both of her hands wander over the other woman's stomach towards her breasts._

_"Do you think we still have a few minutes until we have to start pretending we were working?" The Victorian smirked._

_Myka smiled and pulled Helena's face closer for easy access. "I'm sure." She said after pulling back. "We should already have been up and pretending to work an hour ago." She chuckled as Helena's fingertips trailed down her chest, tickling her. "But I think a few more minutes won't hurt."_

_Then, her wife's fingertips made contact with a certain point on the side of her stomach. Myka hummed as Helena leaned over and kissed the scar there._

_"Do you remember this crazy day?" The writer asked and Myka snorted._

_"No, I have entirely forgotten the day I was shot and you admitted your love to me" she playfully rolled her eyes._

_In reaction, Helena bit the soft flesh a little higher and Myka yelped and jolted up in their hotel bed. "You little felon..." She growled and flipped them both over before proceeding to kiss her wife passionately._

_She looked into the Victorian's dark eyes. "It was a more than crazy day."_

_"An elephant in the Warehouse." Helena chuckled._

_"Well, it was also more than just an elephant." Myka softly kissed the other woman's neck which caused her to whimper._

_"That was the day Claudia started bossing us around." The Victorian rolled her eyes. "She left an immense impression on me in the following weeks. 'It's restricted, HG. Restricted. I can't give you access to those files, even if I wanted to.'" Helena's voice mimicked the caretaker's. "'Mrs. Frederic has given me her instructions, even if I'm now doing her job, she's still in charge.'"_

_Myka snorted and gave her own impression of a ranting Claudia. "'It's claudia-ing, Myka. Not Mrs Frederic-ing anymore.'"_

_The older woman rolled her eyes. "You have no idea how often she actually appeared like this in the hospital. I tried to talk to her so the doctors wouldn't get a clue, but she was so delighted by this new ability that she clearly didn't seem to care about them knowing."_

_"So shootings and Claudia's promotion were clearly the more annoying outcomes that day." Myka smirked. "But there were certain other, better things that happened that day."_

_HG smiled softly, her hands cupping her wife's face tenderly. "I don't know what would have happened if that day would have gone slightly different." She said._

_The younger woman nodded. "I'm glad about everything that happened that day. Even if it did leave a scar."_

____________________________________________________

"An elephant?" Claudia asked. She looked absolutely flabbergasted - as though Myka had just told her that she had seen Pete rejecting a cookie. "In the Warehouse? You sure?"

"Claudia." The older woman replied. "We're in the Warehouse. America's attic of madness. Everything is possible here. Even elephants."

She sat at Artie's desk next to a smirking HG. Mrs Frederic walked up and down the office and suddenly stopped. She turned around to face Myka. "You're suggesting an artifact caused the appearance of this animal, Agent Bering." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"Yes, Mrs. Frederic, that's what I'm saying." Myka replied in an offical tone.

Mrs. Frederic sat down on the other side of Artie's desk, leaning on her elbows and folding her hands in front of her face. "What did you see exactly?" She asked in a concerned tone of voice.

"Monkeys." Helena mentioned laconically.

"An elephant causing havoc. I'm sure cleaning up the mess will take us weeks." Myka said.

"Were there other animals?" The caretaker asked, still very calm and concentrated.

"Not as far as we saw." The Victorian replied. "But we were somewhat preoccupied with the animal that was actively chasing us through the Warehouse, to be sure."

Mrs. Frederic nodded. "I see." She said. "Where exactly were you at the time?"

"Let's see." Myka leaned back in her chair. "Near the Dark Vault. Aisle B145 when the first animals appeared. But I'm certain I also heard noises from them on my way from here to the gooery."

The caretaker closed her eyes. She seemed to concentrate. Claudia held her breath and even Helena tensed up slightly. Myka swallowed.

For a few seconds nobody said anything until the old woman suddenly opened her eyes. "Jumanji" She said.

"Bless you." Helena suggested and shook her head, slightly confused.

"Oh, no. Mrs. F, seriously." Claudia rolled her eyes.

"It's in aisle B304. That means it's very close to those aisles you have been to, Agent Bering and Wells." Mrs. Frederic ignored Claudia's ranting.

"I'm not an agent." Helena tilted her head.

"Yes, you're right, but that's not what this discussion is about." Myka sighed and tried to swallow down the sting in her chest."Are you sure, Mrs. Frederic? Because that would mean..."

"Animals all over the place. Stampede." The redhead sighed.

"Oh, please tell me someone finished the game." The older agent rubbed her forehead.

"What are we talking about?" Helena quietly asked, confusion evident on her face.

"Apparently not. Since there are animals running around." Claudia shrugged.

"What is a Jumanji?" The Victorian tried interjecting again.

"I can only imagine what is awaiting us downstairs." Myka rolled her eyes.

"But the movie was awesome!" The future caretaker nodded.

"Yeah, I liked the book." The brunette said.

"Oh for god's sake! Will someone listen to me! What on earth are you lot yammering on about?" Helena had jumped up from her chair.

"Look who doesn't like to be left in the dark." Claudia grinned and Mrs. Frederic, Myka and HG each raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, wow. Bad joke, Claudia. Bad joke!" The girl held up her hands in submission.

"It's a book by Chris van Allsburg, published in 1981." Myka explained.

"The movie is far more popular, HG. Maybe I could show it to you one day." The redhead said, grinning at HG.

"And what is this fiction about?" The writer sat back down.

"Well, it's a story about a board game." Myka started on one of her typical long-winded tears.

"The game is somehow connected to a strange magical rainforest. And every time you draw a number something from the rainforest comes out of the game and into real life." Claudia scrunched her nose. "And once you end the game, all that stuff disappears again."

"'Stuff' like wild animals?" HG guessed.

"Yes, or creepy hunters with guns." Claudia replied casually.

"So we have the original board game in the Warehouse?" Myka surmised, sighing deeply.

"Yes." Mrs. Frederic answered her question. She had watched the scene unfold with interest. "And no. They didn't finish it. It's impossible. The original players are dead. Drowning the artifact in neutralisation liquid made the animals disappear, so it's not necessary for them to end the game."

"And now that there are artifacts running wild, the game has come back to life." Helena assumed.

"We will need teslas." Myka concluded. "The big ones."

The door opened and all the women in the room turned their heads towards it. "The main door." Artie grumped while entering his office. "Is wide open. The raven almost made it inside. Do you want to have this animal inside my office?"

"Believe me, Artie. That animal is not your biggest problem. Oh, hello, Dr. Calder." Claudia waved at the woman stepping in behind Artie.

"Good afternoon, Warehouse agents." Dr. Calder smiled. "It's interesting how dates with Artie always end up with something like this."

"Yes." Artie looked sternly at Claudia. "Apparently _you_ are my biggest problem."

"Gramps, my program was perfect. There seems to be something wrong with the Warehouse. Even Mrs Frederic can feel it."

The caretaker raised an eyebrow at Claudia. She was using the older woman's words for her own safety.

HG, meanwhile, had risen from her chair. "Hello, Arthur. It's nice to see you again." She calmly said.

"Oh, this day is getting better and better. HG Wells in my office. What a pleasure." The man rolled his eyes.

"Well, you told the Regents I was trustworthy." The inventor replied.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to like you." He shot a nervous glimpse at Mrs. Frederic. "But since we all have the same problem here, I will just forget about that for a few moments."

"I hope this burden doesn't weigh too heavily on your shoulder. How is it by the way?"

"Still the same like last time. Thanks for shooting it." Artie put his suitcase down while Helena bit her lip. "Technically..." She started to say.

"Okay, this is enough of the ongoing sass war between HG and Artie for me for one day. Can we actually try to solve the problem now?" Claudia interrupted the Victorian. "Mrs Frederic, how did you recognise that the Jumanji artifact has had a disturbance and can you do that with other artifacts too? As long as the detection system isn't working you could be our replacement detection system. So HG and Myka can actually do something to deal with those artifacts out of control while Artie - generous as he is - forgets his wrath against me for a second. And we work on repairing the Warehouse?" She looked around at everyone. "Plan? Plan!"

Everyone in the room stared for a moment, slightly baffled at Claudia giving out instructions.

Mrs. Frederic sighed. "I will write a list. Someone please call the agents Jinks and Lattimer so they can come back as fast as possible and support our work here."

"Oh, and Abigail." Artie said. Claudia groaned. "Her, too? She's probably also mad at me."

Artie raised his bushy eyebrows. "What exactly did you do, Claudia?"

Suddenly, the noise of shelves falling over in the Warehouse hit their ears. The future caretaker stared at Artie, looking like she was in serious amounts of pain. The old man turned his head.

"What was that?" He asked, surprised.

"The bigger fish?" Claudia suggested. Artie ran over to the Warehouse's gallery. "There are shelves falling over in my Warehouse!" He yelled. Then: "Is that a giraffe?!" Dr. Calder smirked, stepping after him. "Artie, relax, we're finding a way to fix this."

In the meantime, Myka had jumped up from her chair. "Helena." She said. "We need Teslas. The big ones. Follow me." The Victorian nodded once, then followed Myka into one of the rooms adjoining Artie's office.

Mrs. Frederic turned in her chair to face Claudia. "Claudia, what are you feeling?"

The redhead swallowed nervously, she let her gaze wander anywhere except in the direction of the caretaker. "Oh, uhm, I'm feeling extremly calm and relaxed. Totally okay."

"I asked what you were feeling not how you were feeling." Mrs. Frederic took a deep breath.

"Uhm, no shame. And also no guilt. Because this wasn't my fault. As we all know." The girl jumped as they heard another shelf falling over and Artie raging on the gallery.

"Claudia, there's something going on with the Warehouse and me. And I have no idea how to interpret this." Mrs. Frederic said bluntly.

The redhead eyed her nervously. "What are you implying?"

As Claudia looked into the eyes of the older woman, she started shaking her head. "No!" She spoke and began walking around the office. She turned on her heels and pointed her finger at Mrs. Frederic. "No! This is not happening."

"I'm not saying that it is happening. But we have to consider this possibility." Mrs. Frederic apparently tried hard to stay calm.

"We will not talk about this!"

"Claudia, you have to admit that you're feeling it too!" The caretaker's voice was now louder.

"No." The redhead spoke again. "I'm not feeling anything. I changed my mind. Shame and guilt are the only things I feel. There's no connection between me and the Warehouse or something and I'm not going to talk about this."

"Claudia-"

"No, Mrs. F. Seriously. All you feel is just the Warehouse being out of energy. That's all. As soon as we repair this, the feeling will be gone and everything will be alright and we can stop talking about the caretaking for another 20 years." She turned around and walked towards the room that Myka and HG had taken themselves off to. "Where are the lovebirds with the teslas?" She mumbled to herself.

Mrs. Frederic pressed the palm of her hand against her forehead. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes. Then she shook her head slightly and opened them again. With a quick movement, she pulled a sheet of paper out of Artie's desk and began to note down the artifact disturbances she was feeling.


	8. Chapter 8

"Claudia did what?" Pete gave himself a close up with the Farnsworth. Myka sighed, then leaned forwards in her chair at Artie's desk. "We have nearly everything under control right now." She replied. She jumped at the noise of another cascade of shelves falling over somewhere in the depths of the Warehouse. "But there are several artifacts out of control." She eyed the list in Helena's hands; the Victorian held it up next to her face. "And you have orders to come back to the Warehouse as fast as possible to help us clean up this mess."

"The Petester has already bagged the artifact, Mykes." Myka's partner pointed a finger at the screen. She could hear Steve clearing his throat in the backround. "Well, I admit, Jinks helped." Another throat clearing. "Okay, the glorious Steve Jinks was the one who bagged the artifact. Happy?"

"Well, I don't care for fame." Steve's voice sounded. "But if we wanted to tell the truth we would have to say that you had a major whammy and then I had to bag the artifact alone. To save your butt."

The curly-haired woman giggled. She heard a slight groan from the Victorian next to her and looked up to catch the woman smirking.

"We have the artifact, Myka." Pete said, nodding.

"We're proud of you, Peter." Helena smiled.

"HG, are you there?" Myka's friend turned his head as if it would help seeing the writer. With a sigh, Myka turned the Farnsworth for him.

"Hello, Peter!" The inventor's smile brightened.

"Yeah, my favourite Victorian alive. In the Warehouse!" Pete shouted excitedly. "Are you back? Like _back_ back? Glad you're back!"

"Pete, Helena is not back to be with us at the Warehouse. She's just here to help. Coincidentally." The brunette bit her lip. For a second she felt Helena's disappointed eyes resting on her. Myka cleared her throat and stood up from her chair. Still talking to the Farnsworth, she reached for one of the big Tesla guns. "Pete, as I said, come back as fast as possible to help us over here. So we can go back to normal."

"We're already flying." Pete replied and then slightly shook is head. "I mean we're not literally flying already. I just wanted to tell you how fast we will be travelling. But first we'll have to check out of the hotel."

"Sure." Myka reached down for the can of goo to her feet. "See you then."

"See you." The screen went black.

The Warehouse agent shoved the Farnsworth in the back pocket of her jeans and swung the can of goo over her shoulder by its strap. She turned around to Helena. "Okay, we have the teslas; we have the goo cans." The Victorian nodded at Myka's words and pointed at the goo can slung over her shoulder. "We have the goo spray. Let's go for a strange walk through the Warehouse."

"Bering and Wells, covering artifacts in 'goo', saving the day again." The writer smirked.

"Please, Helena, stop it with that." The Warehouse agent turned around and nodded as she passed Claudia who sat in front of her computer, her head burried in her hands.

"What do you mean, Myka?" HG followed her. "I was just trying to lighten the mood!"

"Yeah, I know." Myka replied as she walked down the stairs of the Warehouse's gallery. "But firstly, it gets slightly annoying over time if you repeat it again and again. You should know that. Haven't you been a writer or something?"

"You mean I'm overusing it?" The Victorian asked as they entered the Warehouse aisles.

"That is exactly what I mean." The brunette turned her head towards the other woman and smiled. After a few minutes of walking, Helena cleared her throat. "And secondly?"

"Pardon?"

"You said 'Firstly, it gets slightly annoying...', Myka. It sounded rather like you had another point." The writer suggested.

Myka kept looking straight ahead. She pursed her lips and took a deep breath to calm her quickening heartbeat. "No." She murmured. "I must have said that by mistake."

"That doesn't sound like you." Helena tilted her head.

"It was definitely me speaking."

"I know, but you don't tend to say things by mistake, Myka."

Myka groaned. "Okay, Helena. Frankly speaking, we both know that the days of 'Bering and Wells, solving puzzles, saving the day' are over for you, right? You made it very clear that you don't want to cross paths with the Warehouse ever again and we have to accept that. We're grateful that you are helping now. So, let's go and goo those artifacts, so everything can go back to normal."

She walked faster,eyes and thoughts trained on the aisles in front of them. Where should they go first?

"Myka, don't you think I should have something to say about this, as well?" The Victorian asked softly. Myka pursed her lips at the hurt tone of her voice.

"You made your point very clear that day in Boone. And I've accepted it, Helena, because you're important to me and I want you to be happy." She pressed her hands into fists.

"But- you don't even know what my opinion on this particular matter is." HG sounded indignant.

"Listen, I'm not strong enough to have this discussion again. I don't want to know your opinion until you're one hundred percent certain about it." Myka took a deep breath. She was still walking, neck stiff, without looking at the other woman so Helena wouldn't see the tears in the agent's eyes. "I can't handle this again. And I definitely won't handle this now, in this utter mess of a situation. If you want to have a nice, straightforward talk about your relationship with the Warehouse, talk to Mrs. Frederic or to Claudia or to someone else. I think you should, actually. But I can't."

The Warehouse agent stopped at a crossroad of aisles, looked left and right and made a decision. She had memorised the list Helena carried around the moment Mrs. Frederic had handed it to them. And there was something on this list that Myka was trying to avoid. She quickly turned left and walked on.

"Why are we going left?" The writer suddenly said and Myka hoped that with this the other conversation was over.

"We're going directly to aisle B304." She replied.

"But there's an artifact disturbance in aisle A113. We should go there first." The list in Helena's hands rustled. "Indeed, Irene mentioned the original Prague astronomical clock. We should neutralise that artifact first."

Myka took a deep breath and kept walking. She knew which aisle A113 meant. She knew which artifact lay in one of the aisle's shelves. She knew she wouldn't go there. Especially not in Helena's company.

"Myka!" The writer called out, then sighed in annoyance because the Warehouse agent still hadn't replied.

"Pete and Steve will take care of that particular artifact. It's more important that we goo the Jumanji game in aisle B304." Myka made sure her voice didn't sound as insecure as she felt.

"But it's on the way."

The brunette stopped and turned around to face Helena, who almost bumped into her. "Pete and Steve are going to take care of the Watch and Clock aisle. That's not as important as the Jumanji board game. Do you hear that noise? That's probably a hippo colliding with another shelf."

Then she spun on her heel again and marched away.

She could hear Helena following her. Myka could also feel Helena's gaze resting on the back of her head.

"Myka, what is in aisle A113?" The Victorian asked, sounding mildly interested.

"As I said. Clocks and Watches." The Warehouse agent replied without looking at the other woman.

"Yes, you did indeed say that, but what is in aisle A113 that you don't want to face?" Helena's voice was soft and caring.

Myka closed her eyes, casting about desperately for the right words. She had to give the older woman an explanation without revealing too much. Quickly, her hand reached up to rub the back of her own neck. "I had an accident a few months ago with one of those watches. It wasn't a very pleasant experience." She said, blinking away her tears. HG stepped into her field of vision.

"And now you're trying to avoid it, preferring that other people take care of the artifacts in that aisle." The writer concluded.

The Warehouse agent nodded. "Yes."

"I could do this for you."

"No, Helena, please. I don't want either of us to be anywhere near that aisle today."

Helena was calm for a few seconds. Myka could clearly feel that she was watching her attentively.

"Alright." The writer shrugged. "I don't want to step too far into your personal space. But if you want to talk about that one day, I'm here."

"Thank you." The younger woman dropped her gaze.

They stopped in front of something that had once been a shelf. It was completely destroyed and covered in a tangle of living vines. It didn't look safe at all. Myka sighed.

"Well. It seems the rainforest plants are already growing out of control." Helena commented dryly. "We'll have to choose another way." She looked at her watch. The Warehouse agent turned a little and looked at the aisle next to them. "This way."

"Yes. I'm coming." The Victorian sighed. "What a pity..."

"Hm?"

"My watch stopped again. I think it really needs new batteries." With nimble hands, Helena took the watch off her wrist and slipped it into the pocket of her pants.

"What is it with you and checking the time so often? Are you waiting for something?" The younger woman asked, curious.

"I'm indeed waiting. For a call from Adelaide, to be specific. She wanted to tell me about her day." The Victorian smiled.

For a second, Myka saw Emily Lake in front of her again instead of HG Wells. The grey wool jumper, the dark hair pulled back tightly in a pony tail. The Warehouse agent realised how tired the woman in front of her actually looked. Myka bit her lip and immediately turned around to get this picture out of her head.

A quick movement in the distance caught her attention. A child with raven black curls passed their aisle and disappeared in the next one. She heard a giggle. "Mommy, look."

Myka took a step forward. "Helena, did you see that?"

"See what?" The writer tilted her head, inquisitive.

The Warehouse agent was unable to tear her gaze away from the spot where she had seen the girl. Now she quickly walked towards it.

"Sarah?" She asked.

HG furrowed her eyebrows, following Myka. As the younger woman stopped at the point where she thought she had seen her future daughter, the older woman looked at her concernedly. "Myka, is everything alright?" She asked.

The Warehouse agent nervously turned in different directions, then shook her head slightly. "Maybe it was just my imagination." She said absent-mindedly. "I thought I saw Sarah."

"Who?" Helena looked confused.

Myka looked at her but avoided actually making eye-contact. "No one." She said, shaking her head. "It has to have been my imagination. Let's keep walking."

"Are you really alright, Myka?" HG asked, her growing concern evident in her voice.

The other woman sighed. "To be honest. No." She looked at the writer. "This entire day is a mess and I'm already getting a head ache from this."

"Well, you know messy days are part of the job." Helena smirked.

"I know. But I will be really glad when everything is set right again and I can go take a long bath. Or to bed. And as long as that is not possible I would prefer talking about the job itself."

"Good." The inventor nodded in agreement. "Then, the 'Jumanji' fiction. Apparently there aren't just animals coming out of that board game, are they?" Myka was glad that there was finally a topic they could talk about which wouldn't hurt her.

"No." She answered the older woman's question. "I mean, yes, there was a whole stampede of elephants, giraffes, zebras and all these other animals. I remember that the monkeys were really annoying. Oh and we better don't meet those mosquitoes and the lion." She took a breath. "There were also those poisonous plants. We should be glad that those vines over there weren't those."

"Poisonous?" Helena raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, shooting little thorny arrows. Oh and then there were some that could strangle you. Remember the rope from the Mary Celeste?" Myka looked at Helena, who grinned suddenly.

"Yes." The writer said smugly as they took another turn between two aisles. "I remember the rope from the Mary Celeste very well."

"Fine. And then there are also other things, like quicksand. Oh, and Claudia already mentioned the hunter." Myka explained.

"What about him? I mean, if he hunts animals in the Warehouse that could turn out positive for us, right?" HG assumed.

"Well, I will just say he isn't interested in hunting animals. It would be best if we didn't meet him at all." With that, the two women finally turned into aisle B304.


	9. Chapter 9

_"Okay, we have the teslas; we have the goo cans." Myka looked at Helena who nodded and pointed at the goo can slung over her shoulder. "We have the goo spray. Let's go for a strange walk through the Warehouse."_

_"Bering and Wells, covering artifacts in 'goo', saving the day again." The writer smirked._

_"Please, Helena, stop it with that." The Warehouse agent turned around and nodded as she passed Claudia who sat in front of her computer, her head burried in her hands._

_"What do you mean, Myka?" HG followed her. "I was just trying to lighten the mood."_

_"Yeah, I know." Myka replied as she walked down the stairs of the Warehouse's gallery. "But firstly, it gets slightly annoying over time if you repeat it again and again. You should know that. Haven't you been a writer or something?"_

_"You mean I'm overusing it?" The Victorian asked as they entered the Warehouse aisles._

_"That's exactly what I mean." The brunette turned her head towards the other woman and smiled._

_After a few minutes of walking, Helena cleared her throat. "And secondly?"_

_"Oh." Myka stopped walking for a second. "I said that, right?"_

_The older woman nodded and looked at her attentively._

_"Well." The agent shrugged and walked on. "Secondly, I don't know your current opinion on great adventures in the style of 'Bering and Wells, solving puzzles and saving the day" so your current use of that phrase confuses me. Although I'm grateful for you being here."_

_Helena sighed. "Myka, I-"_

_"But I would prefer not to talk about this now, Helena." The younger woman interrupted her. "Not until you're a hundred percent certain about this."_

_"I really wish you would allow me to tell you." The Victorian replied with a soft tone of voice._

_"Oh, I will." Myka smiled at her, still somewhat hesitant. "But not now. There are artifacts to neutralise and I have to concentrate on that."_

_She pursed her lips in reaction to the inventor's worried face._

_"There will be a time for us to talk about this, Helena, and I'm really looking forward to it. But right now we have an important job to do, okay?"_

_Now Helena lowered her gaze and nodded. She looked a little relieved._

_Both women stopped at a crossroads of aisles._

_"So..." Myka looked into both directions. "I remember the first point on the list being the original Prague Astronomical clock in aisle A113?"_

_HG looked at the list in her hand. "Yes."_

_"Good, that's on the way to aisle B304. Let's goo that first and then the board game." The Warehouse agent nodded and walked into the aisle to the right._

________________________________________________________

The main door opened and Abigail entered Artie's office. "I came as fast as I could." She looked at Claudia, who sat in front of her computer, groaning.

Mrs Frederic and Dr. Calder were seated in chairs arranged next to the door to the Warehouse's gallery. They interrupted their conversation to greet the woman who had just entered.

"Dr. Cho." Dr. Calder nodded.

"Irene. Dr. Calder." The therapist waved her hands slightly. "How can I help?" She asked them.

"Okay." Artie walked from the gallery into his office, looking thoroughly preoccupied. He carried a big device in his hands. "There seems to be no cable breakage in the Artifact disturbance sensorics." He nodded at Abigail as he passed her.

Claudia was confused. She was sure she hadn't seen the thing in Arties hands ever and she had no idea how he had managed scanning the Warehouse's artifact disturbance sensorics in the mere half-hour that had passed since HG and Myka had gone.

"How did you find that out? Scanning the whole sensorics with my regular scan-o-mats would have cost you hours." Interested, she examined at the object in Artie's hands. "What is that? And why do you have it?"

The older agent smiled. "This, Claudia." He replied with a smug tone of voice, sitting down in front of his own computer, "Is a large-scale scanner, made by me. I use it occassionally to check on the Warehouse's systems." He placed the object on his desk.

"A large-scale scanner?" The redhead asked, baffled. "We have a scanner that can scan all of the entire disturbance sensorics in minutes? How?"

Artie bent over to plug his computer into the small generator he had set up several minutes ago. "It's a scanner specially made by me. And if you'd called right after you decided to ruin the entire Warehouse's electrics, I would have told you that we have tthis scanner. So you could have started working before I came back."

"Hey, I did start working!" The girl replied indignantly. "HG and I restarted the gooery and the Dark Vault and Mrs. Frederic helped me on the light."

"Yes, that's true." The older man turned on his computer. "But everything could have been turned back on by now. If you would have called me."

"So the Artifact disturbance sensorics aren't broken?" Abigail concluded. She'd leaned her hip against Claudia's table, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"No, they aren't." Artie typed on his keyboard without looking up.

"But why isn't the whole system working, then?" Claudia threw up her hands in confusion as she cast an almost agonized look at him.

"The main system seems to have a problem." The older agent replied very seriously.

"The main system?" Abigail tilted her head and jumped as Mrs. Frederic started speaking right next to her.

"The point at which the Warehouse connects to Arthur's computer program." The caretaker said calmly. "Where artifacts and modern technology combine."

"Great!" Claudia threw her head back and groaned. "That's something I could really have solved on my own. There is a point in our computer system that's made of artifacts and I did totally know about this." The irony in her voice was sharp as a blade.

"Calm down, Claudia." Abigail gently touched her shoulder. "Artie and Mrs. Frederic are here to solve the problem."

"Okay, are there any other things nobody bothered to tell me? Like a giant motherboard made of artifacts? Or is our hard disk in fact Albert Einstein's brain and we have it in some jar in the Warehouse?" The redhead propped her feet up on her table.

"Don't be ridiculous, Claudia." Artie replied while still typing. "Albert Einstein's brain was stolen by Thomas Harvey during autopsy."

"So our harddisk is an artifact?" Claudia concluded from the fact that Artie didn't deny it.

The old man just grumbled and pulled his fingers back from the keyboard. "Why isn't this working?"

The future caretaker rose from her chair to look over her mentor's shoulder. "What exactly is the problem, gramps?" She asked, while rolling her eyes.

"Oh, no." Artie protectively shielded his keyboard with both arms. "I won't give you access to this. Not after your 'small and simple program' ruined the whole thing in the first place."

Claudia groaned. Rubbing her forehead, she turned to walk back to her chair, slouching back into it with an exasperated sigh.

Abigail looked quickly at her and then at Artie. "Arthur." She said calmy. "What exactly is the problem? I'm interested."

The old agent started typing again, this time more aggressively. "The artifact part of the system is not responding."

Claudia laughed out loud. "You mean, they crashed? The artifacts crashed? Artifacts can crash?"

Arthur rolled his eyes and didn't answer.

"Did the artifacts crash, Arthur?" Dr. Cho asked Claudia's question again.

"Kind of." The agent replied.

"Well." Abigail said softly. "When I am on my computer and a program crashes, I'm opening my task manager."

"Yes." Dr. Calder nodded in agreement. "Me, too."

"Yeah, great solution." Artie said, pointing at Mrs. Frederic. "The task manager is standing right in front of you."

The three younger woman surveyed the caretaker. "Irene?" Abigail asked surprised. "She's the task manager of the main system?"

"Well, I'm the caretaker. That means I'm connected to the Warehouse and to every system in it." Mrs. Frederic explained seriously.

"So, then, can you tell why the artifacts aren't responding?" Dr. Calder asked, interested.

The caretaker eyed Claudia for a short moment. "I have been feeling strange since the Warehouse lost its energy. But I can't really put my finger on it. To answer your question: there seems to be a reason, but I can't tell what it is. My connection to the Warehouse is currently very weak and I'm worried about this."

"You mean, the taskmanager currently doesn't know what's going on either?" Abigail summarized.

"I seem to be failing at communication with the Warehouse." Mrs. Frederic answered her question.

"So there's no response from the Warehouse?" Dr. Calder narrowed her eyes in thought.

"The whole system seems to have a failure." Artie replied and pulled his hands back from the keyboard with a sigh.

"Okay, so if we want to keep using this computer analogy. There's one thing I tend to do when my computer doesn't work..." The keeper of the inn shrugged.

"Hit it with your fist?" Claudia asked, smiling.

"No, at first I restart the system. And if that doesn't work, I hit it with my fist." Abigail explained.

"Press the reset button." Dr Calder said.

"Restart the whole system." Irene looked at her.

They stared for a second at each other.

"Yeah, but we just started the computers a few minutes ago." Claudia shook her head. "Would it make sense to restart them?"

"They are not talking about the computers, Claudia." Abigail pursed her lips.

"But what... oh!" The redhead stared at the two women.

"Dr. Calder, the ribbon, please." Mrs. Frederic gave the instruction and perched primly on a chair.

"Of course, Mrs. Frederic." Dr. Calder walked through the office to get the desired object. As she came back, Claudia jumped up from her chair.

"Woah there!" She shouted. "Firstly, I'm surprised that you're kind of able to pull this thing almost out of nowhere." She took a few steps back. "Secondly, what are you even planning?" She eyed the object in the physician's hands like it could actually come over and attack her.

Dr. Calder looked at her. "Claudia, the whole Warehouse seems to need a restart. This means disconnecting Mrs. Frederic from it, shutting the whole Warehouse down, reconnecting her, and then hoping it worked."

"We're resetting the Warehouse." Claudia said, not taking her eyes off the ominous ribbon.

"Yes." The caretaker nodded.

"And then we will reconnect Mrs. Frederic with it." The girl's voice sounded sceptical.

"Yes, Claudia. That's the plan." Dr. Calder replied.

"Reconnect. _Mrs. Frederic._ " The redhead repeated.

Abigail took Claudia's hand. "Everything is alright, Claudia. We know that you're alright with being the caretaker in the future, but you still need time." Claudia swallowed as the therapist looked into her eyes. Yes, she needed more time. Far more time. She wasn't ready at all, she knew that much. Even though she had to admit that there was a feeling in her stomach she couldn't put a finger on. Like she hadn't only accepted her future as a caretaker, but she would be able to take over this task when asked. No, she shook her head. They would reconnect Mrs. Frederic and that was good. Claudia had different things to do than being in charge over the attic of weird.

"Okay." She nodded. "You will disconnect Mrs. Frederic. Over there. Don't come anywhere near me with that ribbon. And I will help Artie turn off the main system. Over here. And then you will reconnect Mrs. Frederic to the Warehouse. Over there. You stay there. I will stay here. Everything's cool."

Dr. Calder and Mrs. Frederic nodded in unison. Claudia took her position in front of her computer. She and Artie looked at each other, nodded once and immediately started shutting down all the Warehouse's systems. It took them a few minutes, but when they were finished, they looked attentively at the physician, who held the ribbon in her hands. She took this as her cue to start. Mrs. Frederic held out her arm and gently, Dr. Calder tied the ribbon around it. The ribbon started glowing slightly and the caretaker gasped. Her connection was decreasing and then vanished entirely. With a quick movement, Artie hit a button on his massive computer keyboard and the Warehouse's system shut down. The lights went out at last.

"Good night, Warehouse." Claudia spoke. "Good night."


	10. Chapter 10

_"Well, that was interesting." Helena smirked, looking at Myka, who held the opened goo can in her hands. She had just flooded the original Prague Astronomical clock with the entire contents of the can. There the younger woman stood, eyes opened wide, hair more than a mess from the electrostatic energy that had emerged from the clock. Both women were out of breath and needed time to recover._

_"Interesting?" Myka panted and looked at the purple liquid dripping from the big clock. "Is it interesting now when artifacts attempt to kill us?!" She turned to face the older woman. "Oh god, Helena, your hair!"_

_"What is with it?" The Victorian reached up to her head to find her hair in the same state of disarray as Myka's. "Oh!" She started laughing and tried to smooth it back into its normal position._

_"Well, nothing a shower and a brush can't set right."_

_They turned around to return from the aisle's dead end, where the big clock was, to gather the rest of their supplies. Myka reached down for her tesla gun. Helena checked the time and realised that her watch had stopped yet again. "Bollocks." She cursed._

_"Hm?" The Warehouse agent shot her a glance._

_"My watch stopped again. I think it really needs new batteries." The older woman shrugged and took off her watch. "Just a minute, I will see if I can do anything about it." Helena smiled at Myka and then turned sideways, just enough that she could lean her left shoulder against one of the shelves. Then she delicately pulled on the watch's crown. Spinning it between her fingers, she tried to get the watch working again. Next to herself, she heard Myka shift a little._

_"Well, after we've goo-ed that," the agent suggested, "I think we should go to aisle B304 to goo the Jumanji game. Artie's probably raging alrea-"_

_Myka was interrupted and Helena couldn't guess by which one of the events that followed. There was another crashing crescendo of shelves falling over in the depths of the warehouse. The sound of a gun shot nearly burst the Victorian's eardrums. Suddenly, the Warehouse's lights turned off. Immediately, the writer tensed up because of the darkness. The younger woman groaned loudly._

_"MYKA?" Helena yelled._

_"Well, this one seems to be excellent prey." A male voice exclaimed proudly._

_"Helena." Myka whimpered. In reaction, the inventor let go of her watch. It fell on the shelf she had been leaning against. The Victorian turned in the direction where she thought the Warehouse agent was. She was about to have a panic attack. She could feel it. The darkness surrounded her, pressing in on her. The writer tumbled and fell on her knees. The blood rushed loudly in her ears; she reached out her hand. She couldn't breathe. There was no air, the darkness was choking her. Her fingers made contact with Myka's hand. Apparently, the agent lay on the ground. Their fingers gripped into each other. This gave Helena the strength to think clearly. Where had the gunshot come from? Whose had that male voice been? What had happened to Myka?_

_"Are you alright?" Helena yelled out. She was shocked at the frightened tone of her own voice._

_"No." Myka sobbed._

_"Why is the light gone?" The owner of the male voice ranted. "Nah, I don't care. I will find you anyway."_

_This man was obviously dangerous, HG concluded. Without thinking, Helena reached across Myka's prone body. She mentally noted that her hand was suddenly wet, as she gripped for the tesla gun she assumed to be in the younger woman's hands._

_"Helena, he's behind you!" Myka choked out. Quickly, HG pulled the tesla in her hands up and raised herself, turning, onto her knees. She fired blind, but the lightening brightened the whole aisle and she realised that she had either been very lucky or aimed perfectly. A man in a pith helmet and a matching khaki suit was hit by the tesla's flash and fell over._

_"Ha!" Helena shouted excitedly and let go of the tesla. She raked her hand through her hair and was reminded of the wetness._

_"Myka, are you alright?" She repeated, gradually becoming aware of the half-choked sobs from the other woman. The Warehouse agent coughed._

_"Myka?!" Helena was truly worried now. She turned around, groping blindly in the darkness to find the other woman._

_"I'm here." Myka said, with recognizable difficulty._

_"What's going on?" Helena asked, as their fingers entwined._

_"Helena, you have to promise me to stay calm." The younger woman whispered, her voice trembling. Myka was breathing heavily, HG could feel her whole body trembling under her hands. "This is not your fault. It's not your fault. You can't leave again."_

_"Myka, what is going on?"_

_With this, the light turned on again. Myka lay in front of Helena. Her shirt, which had once been a light beige, was now stained crimson. Thunderstruck, the Victorian stared at the dark red, almost black stain still spreading slowly over the side of the younger woman's stomach. She looked at her own hands. Blood had wetted them. Myka's blood._  
_______________________________________________

"Okay, the system is booting." Artie said, looking up at the lights on the ceiling, which had turned on again. Behind her computer, Claudia nodded and looked at Mrs. Frederic and Dr. Calder.

"It will take a few minutes." She said. "Then you can reconnect Mrs. Frederic and hopefully everything will work again."

"It feels strange." Mrs. Frederic furrowed her eyebrows. "To be disconnected."

"Good or bad?" Abigail asked interested.

"Well, I can't tell. Just different. Like I'm alone with my thoughts for the first time in a long time." The caretaker replied. "It's an interesting feeling."

"Yeah, interesting." The redhead nodded. "But of course you want to go back to your old state as soon as possible."

"Of course." Mrs Frederic simply stated.

"Good!" Claudia dropped her gaze back towards her keyboard and took a deep, steadying breath. Everything was alright! They would reconnect Mrs. Frederic as soon as the main system had booted.

"We probably should have called the ladies to tell them about the light." The redhead shrugged.

"Hm?" Abigail tilted her head.

"Well, HG is afraid of the dark. She probably had a small heart attack when the lights turned off so suddenly." Claudia explained while staring at the progress bar on the screen.

"HG Wells." The therapist said, her expression starstruck. "I'm interested to know what she's like."

"A pain in the ass." Artie grumbled.

"Pardon?"

"She's cheeky, thinks sheknows better than anyone else and, oh, she shot me." The agent looked up from his keyboard.

"And she did you a favour by hiding the astrolabe." Mrs. Frederic raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yes. She did." Artie suddenly became very quiet.

"You like her." Abigail smiled.

The older agent rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, she's right, grumps. You like her." Claudia grinned.

"I don't want to talk about it." Artie half-growled into his beard, making Dr. Calder chuckle.

"Arthur, you tend to get extra grumpy when you feel caught." She said.

"Well," he countered, "I'm just happy I don't have to work with her every day. God knows what would happen if she came back to the Warehouse permanently. She would probably tinker with the hardware and cause all sorts of trouble"

"And now." Abigail's smile brightened. "Now I'm convinced you actually would enjoy working with her."

"That's a very strange way to show your affection to people." Claudia grinned. "By starting a sass war. But, well, she's no better."

_________________________________________

When the lights turned off, Myka almost dropped the board game she held in her gloved hands. In the last second she managed catch herself and avoid losing it in the water. Aisle B304 was a complete mess of jungle plants and swamp. Yes, swamp. It looked like they were in the deepest recesses of an rainforest. In the middle of the Warehouse. The two women had managed to wade through the cold, waist-deep muck to make it to the shelf in which the board game lay. They had to leave the goo cans on the bank because they didn't know if they were waterproof or even how the goo might react to the water. At some point, HG had made a joke about alligators and now Myka was convinced they weren't alone in the water.

Just as she had lifted the board game off the shelf, everything went dark.

"Okay, this is really frightening!" Myka commented on the lack of light and the feeling of water plants softly touching her thighs.

"Indeed." Helena's voice was higher than ever. Myka knew she was about to panic.

"Helena?" She spoke calmly to the other woman. Carefully, she set one foot before the other on the worryingly smooth ground below the water to approach the writer. "You're not alone! I'm here with you. They're probably working on the Warehouse's electrics and had to turn off the light again."

Suddenly, the Warehouse agent felt pain cut through her stomach. She groaned.

"Myka?" She could feel the Victorian's hand on her shoulder but couldn't concentrate on it. The pain was too bad and she had to...

"Could you hold the game for a second, Helena?" Myka managed through clenched teeth.

"Yes, of course. Is everything alright?" The Warehouse agent could tell the writer was concerned. Maybe this would keep her from having a... As she handed the board game to the other woman, the movement made the dull ace give way to a shooting pain that reached all the way up behind her ribs. Myka quivered and reached down to her stomach to press her hand on the source of this agony.

Myka's shirt had soaked up the water from the swamp, but she hadn't felt anything tear it. She was sure something must have ripped her shirt and wounded her. As her finger's touched the point where she could feel the pain, Myka whimpered.

"What did you say about those alligators?" Now it was Myka's turn to panic. What if there were really animals in this swamp and she had just been bitten?

"I just said that as a joke, Myka."

"Yes but..."

The light went on again and Myka was sure the next thing she would see was blood on her hand. Surprised, she stared at her wet, but otherwise completely clean purple glove.

"Myka, what is happening?" The Victorian asked.

"But I was sure..." Myka reached down to her hurting stomach. The pain was still there, and as she moved, she had to bend over and clench her jaw to keep herself from groaning.

"Something's wrong." She managed to say through the pain. She took a deep breath. "And I don't know what it is."

Helena gave her an extremely concerned look. She clamped the board game under her left arm and reached out her right hand towards Myka.

"Come on, darling. We'll get you out of this swamp and then we'll see what's wrong."

Without hesitation, Myka took the writer's hand and followed her through the cold water. She was struggling and shaking more than she was actually walking. Her foot slipped on a stone and she went under. Panicking, she flailed in the swamp, searching for something, anything to hold on to. The Warehouse agent could feel Helena helping her up. The board game was pressed into her hands and then the writer supported Myka by reaching her arm around her waist. Pressed together like this, they reached the swamp's bank. As her feet made contact with solid ground, Myka fell on her knees and hands, and let go of the board game. Helena was still by her side.

"Everything is alright, Myka." Her voice spoke calmly into her ear. "It seems you're having a panic attack. I'm here with you."

"No." Myka whispered. "I'm wounded." She rolled over on her back and looked down. "Something must have bitten me." Desperately, the Warehouse agent pointed at her stomach. The pain filled her mind to the brim; she almost couldn't think anymore.

"Something's wrong." She mumbled. She was sure about it.

She could feel how Helena's hand gently touched her stomach and pulled up her shirt. Myka threw back her head in sudden agony and groaned as the writer's fingers made contact with her skin. She squeezed her eyes shut and felt tears running down her cheeks.

"Myka, you're alright. There is no wound." Helena spoke, growing concern evident in her voice. This couldn't be. The pain was there, it was real - and Myka had felt something hit her.

"No, there has to be." The younger woman opened her eyes again and looked into friendly, green ones. Sarah was bent over her, smiling. Her black curls fell to the sides of her face and she snagged them behind her own ears.

"Mommy." The child spoke and smiled brightly. "I'm here with you." Myka studied her daughter's face. She recognised her own green eyes, the shape of Helena's nose and jaw bone, the elegant sweep of her eyebrows.

Suddenly the pain was gone. A different feeling replaced it inside Myka's stomach. It was love and happiness. She felt safe and reached out a hand to touch the girl's face gently.

Myka got lost in those bright green eyes. She smiled.

"Sweety." She whispered softly.


	11. Chapter 11

_"No!" Helena's hands grabbed onto Myka's shirt and pulled it up. "No. This is not happening." A dark red hole gaped on the side of the Warehouse agent's stomach. Blood was running down her skin and over the writer's hands. HG was afraid. The last time she had been this afraid had been... Christina. The inventor stared down at the other woman's stomach and shivered. This couldn't be happening. Not again. How could something like this happen again?_

_Myka placed a hand over Helena's. "You can't leave again, Helena." She whispered with a trembling voice. "It's not your fault. It wasn't because you and the Warehouse crossed paths." She sobbed. "It was destined."_

_"Myka, I..." Tears fell down the Victorian's cheek as she looked into the younger woman's green eyes. "I can't lose you." Her hand curled around the agent's._

_Myka managed a smile. "I'm here." She mumbled. "I'm not leaving." She took a deep breath. "But it's important that you stay calm, because I need your help. You will now take a deep breath and then you will help me save my life."_

_"We have to... We have to get you out of here. Into a hospital." The inventor rose from her crouching position but didn't let go of the other woman's hand. "Can you...?"_

_The younger woman hissed as she tried to move. "I need help." She swallowed. "Help me up."_

_HG nodded. She reached down and wrapped both arms around the other woman to pull her up. Myka was heavy, but Helena was sure she could manage it with her help. She had to get Myka out of this Warehouse and into a hospital. Carefully, she shifted the agent and pulled the younger woman's right arm across her own shoulders. The agent's body weight fell onto her own and Helena almost stumbled. She needed a few seconds to adjust herself and the wounded woman's body. Myka groaned in pain._

_"I've got you." The Victorian said, because she didn't know what else to do. Carefully, she set one foot in front of the other. Myka was moving her feet as well, but she wasn't really walking. A shiver went down Helena's spine as the younger woman's face leaned into her neck. The agent was almost limp in her arms._

_"Myka, stay with me." Helena said as they passed the still unconscious hunter on the ground._

_"I'm not leaving..." Myka's voice was less than a whisper. "And you can't..." Her voice broke at those words. HG was frightened because the other woman had stopped talking. She had to keep her awake, because she was sure she couldn't manage carrying an unconscious Myka through the Warehouse._

_"You have to stay awake." The Victorian's voice was desperate. "Stay awake for me. Talk to me, Myka."_

_"Can't talk..." The agent choked out._

_"Then I will talk to you." Helena turned them both into the next aisle. "I will talk to you and you'll have to listen because you have to stay awake for me. I can't lose you, Myka. You can't die!"_

_The other woman made a noise at that. It sounded like a chuckle. HG's brows furrowed in confusion; she turned her head to see the semi-concious other woman with closed eyes and a slight smile on her face._

_"Do you think this is funny, Myka?" Helena swallowed. The tears burned on her cheeks._

_"Interesting..." Myka managed to say._

_The Victorian dropped her gaze to the ground. She managed to drag them both forward by another few steps. "Interesting?" She asked and was suprised at the almost indignat tone of her own voice._

_"It's wrong, Myka. It's so wrong. I wish you would have allowed me to talk earlier. Over the last few months I've been running from the Warehouse, even though we both know it's the place where I belong. The Warehouse is my home. And I've been running from it. And you knew it. That day in Boone you knew it but you sent me away because you also knew I was denying it."_

_The younger woman just groaned in reaction._

_"And by doing that I've been running from you as well, Myka! And it was wrong. Because, Myka, I love you... And now that I've finally realised this and how wrong I've been to run from you, you can't die and say that it's interesting. Myka, I can't lose you. You cannot die! Because I love you and I need you to stay with me. And I want to stay with you!" The words had poured out of Helena slowly at first, but by the end of her confession, she was almost shouting._

_Myka quivered. "Good..." She simply said and then became completely limp in the writer's arms. At the sudden change of weight, Helena stumbled, losing her balance. Both women fell and the Victorian had to let go of Myka, so she could use her hands to break the fall._

______________________________________________

Helena watched Myka with growing concern. As the younger woman reached out her hand and talked to herself, the Victorian decided she must be affected by an artifact. Her mind raced around every object they had come in contact with, concluding that there were none, except for the board game. So HG jumped up from her position in the grass next to Myka and walked over to the cans with the neutralisation liquid. She was really worried about the other woman. At first there had only been the pain she had described, but without a wound to explain it. Now she was interacting with someone who wasn't there. Helena had no idea what this Jumanji artifact could do to people, but she was sure that it had to have done this to Myka.

With a few quick movements, the writer opened the goo can, gripped it firmly in both her hands and marched towards the point where the box made of brown wood that was the board game lay in the grass. She kept her distance, opening the game's cover with the tip of her shoe. Interested, she looked at the playing pieces standing on the board as though they were waiting for the next turn.

Behind her, Myka giggled. Helena took a deep breath in reaction and poured the neutralisation liquid over the opened board game. At first, there were small sparks emerging from the game, but then suddenly everthing around them started glowing. The rainforest setting was literally sucked back into the game like dust into a vacuum cleaner. HG dropped the goo can; the grass under her feet disappeared, making her fall down on the hard, but blessedly normal Warehouse floor. Sparks and flashes of light flew around her head. The Victorian was sure that those were energy representations of everything that had left the game in the past hours. After a few minutes, the lightning decreased and then stopped completely. The board game closed by itself. Suddenly, it was completely silent in the Warehouse. Helena knew that the animals and all those other things that had run havoc in the Warehouse after coming out of this board game had disappeared, stowed safely away back in their box. But, well, apparently the mess they had caused hadn't. The writer looked around the aisle. The shelves were still damaged from the plants which had grown on them and in the middle of the floor, there was a broad, but not very deep hole. It had apparently held the swamp.

Myka had sat up and was looking attentively at HG. The writer smiled shyly at her, asking an unspoken question.

"You neutralised the board game." The Warehouse agent stated. Helena narrowed her eyes at her, unsure if this had solved Myka's... state or not. She looked normal. But she had also looked normal when she had been talking to herself.

"How do you feel?" She asked, hoping that the neutralisation of the artifact had also had an effect on the younger woman's mind.

"I'm feeling great, Helena. Why do you ask?" The agent tilted her head and looked questioningly at her. Now Helena was sure that something had changed, but she didn't know if it had changed for the better. Myka didn't seem to remember what had happened in the last minutes.

"It seems you were affected by an artifact." Helena explained, moving closer to the other woman. The agent stood up and dusted herself off. She smiled at the Victorian.

"Really? Oh. Well, it's a good thing you neutralised it, then." She replied with a shrug.

"Indeed." HG nodded, still worried. "Indeed, Myka. I neutralised the board game. Do you feel better?"

"I'm feeling great." Myka laughed. "Let's put that game back on the shelf where we got it from and then go neutralise those other artifacts on the list."

"Alright, then." Still eyeing Myka skeptically, HG picked up the goo-dripping board game from the ground to put it back on its shelf.

"Could you hurry it up a little?" The agent asked, turned around and picked up their belongings. "I want to have this finished before Sarah comes home from school."

__________________________________________________

Under the attentive gazes of both Warehouse agents and the keeper of the inn, Dr. Calder gently wrapped the ribbon around Mrs. Frederic's arm. The Warehouse's system hads booted to the point that they could reconnect the the elder woman to it. Now their heads turned to watch the caretaker being reconnected to the Warehouse. Claudia was sure that she saw the ribbon glowing, she had expected it to glow but then...

Mrs. Frederic opened her eyes and looked directly into the girl's. She narrowed her eyes and bit her lip. Claudia glared at the older woman. She had never witnessed such an act of weakness from Mrs. Frederic. She could tell the woman was confused and afraid.

"What's going on?" Abigail asked with furrowed eyebrows. Claudia already knew what Mrs. Frederic would say before the caretaker turned her head to face the therapist.

"It's not working." She spoke with a voice that showed that she was seriously concerned.

"Maybe I did something wrong." Dr. Calder said, fiddling with the ribbon.

"No." Claudia said in a monotonous tone and looked at the ribbon. "You didn't. The ribbon is placed right."

She looked up and watched Mrs. Frederic's worried face.

"It's not the ribbon." Irene explained and turned her head towards Dr. Calder. "It's the Warehouse."

Abigail and Artie exchanged a confused look. "What do you mean?" They asked in unison. Claudia was very quiet in her chair. She lowered her gaze to the ground and waited for the fear to overwhelm her. The Warehouse didn't want to have Mrs. Frederic back. She could feel it. And this could only mean one thing...

Apples. Claudia could smell them since the caretaker had expressed her worries about her connection to the Warehouse. But the redhead had managed to deny this. She had managed to deny the teasing feeling in her stomach. The feeling of being needed by this entity that was the Warehouse. Slowly, she shook her head.

Mrs. Frederic was as quiet as Claudia and watched the girl attentively.

"What is going on?" Artie asked with a voice that mirrored the confusion that he, Abigail and Dr. Calder all felt.

"The Warehouse." The caretaker said, looking at the agent. "Has its own mood. It has its own wishes and needs."

Claudia closed her eyes and tried to keep herself from tearing up.

"There is a point at which it no longer prefers its old caretaker and requires a new one. Not all wonders are endless, Arthur. I have served for a very long time now. The Warehouse seems to feel that I am tired. And it decided that it's the best to retire me." Mrs. Frederic took a deep breath and rose from her chair. "Warehouse 13 doesn't want me as its caretaker anymore. Over the last year it tried to get Claudia's attention. My disconnection may have been a coincidence, but the fact that it rejects me now isn't. Claudia." She said softly, then turned towards the girl. Claudia didn't open her eyes. She pressed her lips together in one thin line and shook her head.

"No." She simply said, her voice trembling.

"Claudia. When the Warehouse calls for you, you have to answer." Mrs. Frederic spoke with a calm voice. She stepped closer to the young girl to gently place her hand on her shoulder. "The time has come to-"

She was interrupted by the redhead. "No. Don't say things like 'The time has come for you, Claudia. Accept your destiny.' I have accepted my destiny, Mrs. Frederic, okay. I have accepted that I have to be in charge over this strange facility at some point in my life. But, damn it, it's too early. I'm too young. This is happening so fast." She took a deep breath and shook the older woman's hand from her shoulder. Shaking her head, she rose from her chair.

"Claud-" Mrs. Frederic began, but stopped speaking when Claudia glared at her. With big steps, the girl passed Artie's office and left it towards the gallery.

She gripped into the banister and took a deep breath. The tears were now running over her cheeks and she couldn't stop them. She was afraid. She hadn't planned on this. How had she gone from installing a simple program to discussing the caretaking again? Discussing the caretaking... The redhead snorted. It wasn't like she had any choice, now that the Warehouse was openly rejecting Mrs. Frederic. How could it take this decision from her? Claudia was mad.

Suddenly she felt someone taking positon next to her. The girl turned her head and recognised Abigail, who had placed her hands on the banister, too and looked out over the Warehouse aisles.

"We won't talk about this." Claudia growled.

"Hm? What?" The keeper of the inn turned her head, looking for all the world like the redhead had pulled her out of a deep thought. She shrugged. "Of course we won't. It's not like the Warehouse is running away, is it? Even though you have to admit that the current state of being without a caretaker connected to it is a little unsettling." Abigail turned and leaned her hips and ellbows against the banister without breaking eye contact with Claudia. "We could talk about other things." She grinned. "Maybe about the fact that the B&B's water bill is incredibly high this month."

The young agent snorted and looked back at the aisles of the Warehouse.

"Claudia, you had a lot of 'me time' in the shower." Abigail spoke. "I think you needed time for yourself and your thoughts. I don't think that you were struggling there." She took a deep breath. "I think you have accepted that the Warehouse wants you, like you told me that day we were in the Warehouse to fix the problem with your ...uhm.. Goozooka?"

Claudia rolled her eyes and tried to hide her smile.

"Back then you told me you wanted to become caretaker in the future. You wanted it badly. And I think in the last month you realised it wouldn't be a problem for you to take over the job soon. And now you're afraid of yourself. Because suddenly, it feels so real for you." The keeper of the inn paused.

The redhead took a deep breath. "I'm afraid of being on my own. This is so much responsibility and I'm sure I can't handle it alone." She felt comfortable admitting it to the woman.

Abigail nodded. "But, Claudia, well. There's this one point you have to consider."

Claudia looked directly into her eyes, her eyebrows knit together, head shaking slightly in confusion.

"You're anything but alone in this." The therapist said,gesturing towards the open office door. Claudia turned her head; her eyes landed on Artie, who leaned in the frame, arms folded, not meeting her eyes.

"We will help you." He simply said without looking up. "Me and Abigail. And I'm sure Mrs. Frederic won't throw you into the job all alone. I'm sure if Steve were here, he would say the same." Artie swallowed. "We are a family, Claudia. Everyone in the Warehouse. And we will help you as much as you need us to."

Claudia watched him and felt a growing warmth in her heart. He was right. She wasn't alone. She had all of them with her. And they would help her. Drying her tears with the palm of her hand and sniffling, she walked towards Artie and hugged him. The older agent leaned into the hug. Claudia's relationship with the Warehouse was built on the relationship she had with the family around it. And she was grateful for every last one of them.

Slowly, she pulled back from the hug and looked through the door at Dr. Calder and Mrs. Frederic, who had watched the three of them with worried faces.

Claudia bit her lip. Then, she took her first step towards Dr. Calder.

"Let's do this quickly." She said. "Before I change my mind."


	12. Chapter 12

"Stop." Claudia raised her right hand. She had requested to sit in her own chair; now Dr. Calder was approaching her with the ribbon.

Abigail shook her head in confusion. "Claudia, I thought we were sure..."

"No, it's okay, Abs." The redhead shook her head and waved her hand. "I'm not taking back what I said. We are doing this. We are doing this in a few minutes. But I have to talk to someone before I can do it."

She looked pleadingly at Artie. "Gramps, could you give me your Farnsworth, please?"

The older agent smiled and immediately handed it to her. Dr. Calder took a respectful step back. She joined the other women in a huddled group a respectful distance away from the girl.

"Artie." Abigail looked at the agent. "Come over here. This is private!"

Artie raised his bushy eyebrows and then nodded. He quickly crossed the office, moving towards the three women.

Claudia took a deep breath and opened her Farnsworth to call Steve. She needed this. He couldn't possibly make it here in time, so she had to call him. She needed to talk to him because she was sure she couldn't make this without him.

"Artie, we're on our way, but we can't-" Jinks looked surprised. "Claudia? Is everything alright over there?"

The girl smiled over the tears that were already returning to her eyes. "More or less." She replied and felt the first of them run over her cheeks. "The Warehouse is still running havoc. Abigail and Artie are annoying the hell out of me and... oh, I'm about to become caretaker."

"What?" Steve and Claudia watched the plane's inside tumble over the screen of the Farnsworth. Apparently, Steve had dropped the communication device in surprise. The girl quietly laughed as he appeared back on the screen.

"What did you say?" He asked again.

"Well." Claudia took a deep breath. "We had to disconnect Mrs. Frederic from the Warehouse and now that damn drawer of weird is somehow rejecting her and wants me instead. Long story short: I'm currently sitting in my chair while Dr. Calder is holding that damn ribbon in her hand and watching me like a predator its prey and I'm slightly unsettled."

She snorted. "Okay, I'm really freaking out."

Her partner raised his eyebrows. "It rejects Mrs. Frederic and wants you instead? How? What is going on?"

"Steve, I'm becoming caretaker! And I'm kind of looking forward to it." She shook her head and watched Steve lean back in his chair.

"How did that happen? When did I grow up?" Claudia's voice was desperate. The tears were now flowing freely.

"How can I help?" Jinks shook his head, looking similarly desperate.

"Tell me that this is normal and that it's okay for me to feel like this." The redhead demanded.

"Feeling like what?" Steve asked, confused.

"Grown up." Claudia replied. She looked up to the other members of the Warehouse family standing in a corner of Artie's office, shooting nervous glimpses at her.

"Ready." She stated, sounding surprised.

"Well, Claudia I could say things like 'I know you were ready for this since you were born' or something, but I'm sure you don't want to hear that." Her partner smiled gently at her.

"Yeah, you know me far too well, Jinksy." Claudia grinned. Steve smiled slightly at the nickname.

"Claudia, I'm sure you will rock this. And it's okay to feel grown up. Because you are grown up. And that is a good thing."

"Thank you." The redhead bit her lip at his warm words.

"But now that you're getting a promotion, I'm slightly worried about myself." Jinks raised his eyebrows. "Because you will be bossing me around."

"I'm already bossing you around as your partner, aren't I?" Claudia rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, but now it's legitimate. Also... you won't be my partner anymore..." Suddenly he sounded sad.

"Oh, don't get sentimental over this, you baby." The redhead laughed and sniffled slightly.

"Well, I will need a new agent as annyoing and cheeky as you or I might be able to work without getting a headache." Steve grinned. Claudia watched him for a second and pondered over this.

"Well." She finally said. "I think I already have someone in my mind."

"You do?" He furrowed his eyebrows.

"We will see." The soon-to-be-caretaker replied. "Steve, I'm doing this!"

He nodded. "Okay, Claudia. Do you need me to send you moral support via Farnsworth?"

"Nah. I think I'll be able to do this on my own now. Like a real grown-up, you know?" Claudia grinned.

"Kick their asses." Steve said and with a bright smile, Claudia nodded at him. "Thank you." She replied before closing the Farnsworth.

Staring at the floor, Claudia took a deep breath. She turned her head and looked at Mrs Frederic, then at Artie, Abigail and Dr. Calder.

"Let's do this." She stated and pulled up the sleeve on her right arm. The physician approached her with the ribbon. They shared a look and Claudia nodded her consent before Dr. Calder slowly started binding the ribbon around her arm.

Claudia closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. She was sure the ribbon should be glowing by now.

"You will feel home." Mrs. Frederic voice spoke. "There is no need to be afraid. You are safe with us and you are safe with the Warehouse."

"I know." Claudie breathed.

And then she could feel it. The connection she had always shared with the Warehouse only grew. It wasn't like there was a new thing building up inside of her. There was just the feeling of something unfolding that had been inside her as long as she could think back. The Warehouse called her. It greeted her with a soft touch somewhere around her heart. Claudia knew this was right. And she knew she was ready.

This was when she opened her eyes for the first time as the new caretaker of Warehouse 13.

"Holy frak." She mumbled as she looked around Artie's office.  
________________________________________________

_Helena shifted closer to the unconscious woman. Myka lay half on the ground and half on HG. The Victorian turned herself over with difficulty and took the agent's face between her hands._

_"Myka?" She asked and softly patted her face. "Myka, you have to wake up. I need your help. I can't carry you on my own." She sobbed as the younger woman showed no reaction. "Myka!" Her voice was desperate. "Stay with me. Please."_

_Myka's eyebrows twitched slightly. The writer sighed in relief and pulled her closer. "Thank goodness. You're alive." Her arms wrapped around the other woman's upper body, she sat up._

_"We need help." Helena declared and then suddenly remembered the existence of modern technology. Shifting herself and the body pressed against her for better access, the Victorian pulled the Farnsworth out of the backpocket of Myka's jeans. She choked back another sob at the fact that the younger woman's trousers were also already soaked in her blood._

_Taking a deep breath, she opened the communication device and called Claudia. Helena had no time for focussing on her confusion as Artie's face appeared on the screen._

_"What is it?" He asked harshly. "What is that on your face?"_

_"Artie, Myka got shot." The writer informed him, trying and failing to conceal her panic. "She got shot, Artie. We need help! I can't carry her out of here myself. She's losing so much blood. So much blood."_

_The man's facial expression immediately changed to concern. "What? What did...?"_

_He shook his head. "I'll send Vanessa down immediately to help you." Helena realised he rose from his chair, holding the Farnsworth in his hands. "Abigail." He yelled. "Start your car. We have to bring her to Univille to get her into an ambulance. They can't pick her up from the Ware-" His voice broke. HG recognised him panicking. "Artie!" She shouted, pressing Myka closer to her chest. "Artie. We need to stay calm." The elder agent didn't reply; he was pacing through his office like a caged animal. "Dr. Calder!" HG shouted, hoping the physician would hear her through the Farnsworth. "Dr. Calder, can you hear me?" Helena was now crying freely. She could hear several voices shouting on the other side of the Farnsworth. Claudia's was among them, talking very calmly to the others._

_The face of a woman she hadn't met so far appeared on the screen._

_"Miss Wells." The apparently asian woman said in a calm voice. "You need to tell us where you are exactly so we can send Dr. Calder to you. But you need to stay calm. Where are you?"_  
__________________________________________

Helena approached Myka quickly from behind. With a sudden movement, she grabbed the hand of the walking woman and forced her to turn around.

"Myka, who is Sarah?!" She demanded to know. Her voice was as strict as she could make it, trying to cover every insecurity in it. The writer was so worried about the other woman. She had to talk to her to make sure she was alright.

The agent turned around with a completely baffled look on her face. "What?" She asked, confused, and shook off HG's hand.

"Sarah." Helena replied. "Who is she?"

Myka's face showed her growing confusion. And the Victorian couldn't begin to guess about what.

"Don't be ridiculous, Helena." Myka stated and turned around. "We have to finish this now. There are artifacts to neutralise."

"Myka, I will not continue working until you have told me what is going on with you." Crossing her arms, the writer leaned against a shelf, all the while fixing the agent with a piercing look.

"Going on with me?" The younger woman shook her head. "You are the one who is clearly having one of her moments here, Helena, but we currently don't have time for this, okay?"

Helena opened her mouth to reply something harsh but then she watched the other woman turning around busily. " Yes Sarah, this is beautiful, but I'm currently a little busy talking, can you wait a second?"

Myka nodded with a warm smile, looking into empty space. "Yes, I will look at it properly when I'm done."

Helena's eyes widened. She surveyed the space Myka was talking to. "Myka?" She asked.

"Is Sarah here?"

The agent's facial expression changed completely to a soft and confused one. "Who?" She asked with such a baffled tone that HG knew she couldn't be pretending her confusion.

"Myka, how do you feel?" She asked. "Dizzy? Confused? What are you seeing?" Helena hoped that she could reach the other woman. That there was still a Myka there who wasn't confused or affected by an artifact. In her mind, HG went through an imaginary list of things they had come in contact with. And of those, only the board game was an artifact. She had neutralised the board game. It couldn't have been the board game.

"I'm feeling great!" Myka said with a sudden excited tone of voice.

Quickly, the Victorian reached out to take both of Myka's hands in her own. She stepped a little closer and looked deeply into her eyes. "Myka. Tell me. What did you touch?" She asked in a serious tone of voice.

Myka suddenly stepped into Helena's personal space. The Victorian yelped as she was pressed against the shelf by the younger woman. "Isn't the question what I want to touch?" Myka whispered huskily. Helena shuddered at the tone of her voice. She felt an easily welcomed heat in her lower stomach as the younger woman pressed her body into hers. And then the agent's warm lips were on hers.

The kiss wasn't soft, it was hungry and passionate and so extremely intimate that HG's eyes widened. For a short moment she felt the urge to return this kiss. To lean into it. Helena wanted to kiss all the pain away that she kept seeing in Myka's eyes when they looked at each other. But she knew this wasn't Myka. This wasn't her Myka. It was someone different she didn't know. So she pushed the younger woman away slightly, catching her breath.

"Myka." She gasped and stared at the other woman, completely flabbergasted. What the deuce was happening? She was now convinced that Myka had come into contact with an artifact. They had to find it. And they had to neutralise it as quickly as possible. Helena used the short moment in which the Warehouse agent looked confused to shift her own body out of her arms and step away. Her own body immediately mourned the loss of contact. HG felt lost and hollow. She took a deep breath to concentrate on what she had to do.

"So HG Wells is a woman." Myka looked surprised at her and took a few steps back. "I have to process this."

Helena closes her eyes for a second. She couldn't let the feelings take over, even though so many were linked to this sentence. Myka was in danger and it was on her to save her.

So she turned towards the board game on the shelf and picked it up with gloved hands. They had to go to Artie's office and find out what was going on with Myka. With the board game in her left hand, Helena pressed the fingertips of her right against her burning lips for a second. She swallowed away the tight feeling in her chest. There was no time to think about this.

"Myka." HG finally said softly. "I'm sure you are affected by an artifact. And I hope you are still somewhere there inside. I will now lead you to the others in Artie's office, so we can find out what happened to you and set this right." She took a deep breath. "We will help you, do you understand? I got you."

"Helena." Myka murmured and suddenly looked up into her face. She looked so desperate and afraid and with this the Victorian knew this was the right one. This was the Myka Bering she knew and Myka was frightened. "I don't know what is happening." The younger woman whispered, her voice trembling. She reached out a hand towards Helena. "Something is so wrong."

Before Helena could take her hand, the agent turned around, again speaking to someone who wasn't there. "No, sweetie, I haven't seen your watch, I'm sorry."


	13. Chapter 13

_Helena stared at the closing lift doors in front of her. She felt lost. Someone had ripped Myka from her arms in the Warehouse. And then they had brought her to the hospital. HG's memory of this wasn't very accurate. She knew that Dr. Calder and Claudia had somehow managed to improvise a stretcher to carry Myka out of the Warehouse. At some point Artie had taken care of the writer and put her into the same car they had used to drive Myka to Univille. It was impossible to get an ambulance to the Warehouse and Helena had panicked, because she knew how far away the next real hospital actually was._

_But then she had had occasion to be grateful for Mrs. Frederic and the position this woman actually held in America's secret service. She had managed to procure an emergency helicopter to bring Myka to the hospital. And so HG Wells had watched this technical marvel lifting off from the ground with the woman she loved inside it. Mrs. Frederic and Dr. Calder had been taken along, too. They had decided it was for the best that the caretaker should go with her. Or, well, the former caretaker, as Claudia and Artie had briefly explained to the writer._

_This was surprising news, but Helena couldn't concentrate on it. Everything she could care about was Myka in that helicopter._

_At some point, Artie hat put her back in Dr. Cho's car and this Dr. Cho person and her had taken the two-hour road trip to the nearest town, which had a hospital. Artie and Claudia had stayed at the Warehouse because someone still had to fix what was left of the mess there._

_Dr. Cho and Helena had been very silent during their trip._

_And the both of them had been sitting silently in their chairs in front of the lift, which had occassionally opened and closed. An hour ago, Dr. Calder had come out of this lift to give them an update on Myka's condition. The Warehouse agent was alive, barely. She had lost a lot of blood and they needed to perform a bigger surgery on her to save her. Dr. Calder had left them alone with this information. Mrs. Frederic had appeared as well. She had declared that she had made sure that everybody would take good care of her agent. Then she had placed a hand on Helena's shoulder which the Brit had noted with surprise._

_"Everything will be alright" HG hadn't believed her for a second. She couldn't possibly believe such words without seeing it with her own eyes. The fear of losing Myka had been too great. So she had just stared at the former caretaker until the woman had declared that she needed to return to the Warehouse and help Claudia with her situation._

_After some time Dr. Cho had gone to get them some coffee. Helena remembered the filled but cold coffee mugs somewhere in Artie's office. They had been too busy to use them. She buried her head in her hands at this thought. What strange ways her mind was going while the love of her life fought for her own life in some OR the Victorian couldn't follow her in. Myka was alone there and Helena felt alone, too. She felt so alone._

_A coffee cup made of paper hovered in front of her face and Helena looked at it like it was about to attack her. She lifted her head and met Dr. Cho's worried, but friendly eyes._

_"No. Thanks." HG waved her hand._

_"Okay, I should have guessed you're more a tea person, right?" The keeper of the inn nodded and sat down. "Well, more coffee for me. I think I'll need it."_

_The writer just groaned and Abigail raised her eyebrows in reaction._

_"Miss Wells, I think..." She started but was interrupted by the Brit._

_"No. Don't." Helena shook her head. "Just don't."_

_"Miss Wells."_

_"She can't die!" HG burst out and gasped at the harshness of her own voice. "This can't happen again. I'm not having this." She jumped up from her chair, feeling the rage inside her chest. She felt her own old state of being; madness, fear and grief occupied her mind._

_"Myka will not die." Dr. Cho simply replied and rose from her chair as well. "Agent Bering is a strong and powerful woman and she will be as strong and powerful in the next decades."_

_The Victorian stared into the therapist's eyes, her chin slightly raised, her eyes glistening in anger. The other woman's face was soft but strict. She glared at the Brit with an energy that made her lower her gaze to the ground._

_"And you shouldn't worry about her. Trust her instead. Myka will stay with us. I don't doubt this even for a second." Abigail continued, her eyes not leaving the writer's face. Helena was impressed. This woman didn't know her at all. Everything she has were the facts the other agents had probably told her. Her betrayal, her attempts to destroy the world. Maybe how she had run away from the Warehouse. And now this Dr. Cho wasn't even remotely afraid to tell her what she was thinking._

_Helena fell back into her chair. "I'm afraid." She whispered._

_"We are all afraid." Dr. Cho nodded. "But I'm more than sure that Myka will make it. Everything will be alright."_

_Helena wished she could believe her. But all she now felt was fear. Endless and all-occupying fear._

____________________________________

Claudia walked out of Artie's office and stared out over the Warehouse aisles. She needed time to process this. There was suddenly so much information inside her brain and the emotions of the Warehouse were so clear to her. It welcomed her warmly and Claudia knew that she wasn't only taking care of the Warehouse now, it was taking care of her as well.

At first, it made sure that all the information about it and all the artifacts in it wouldn't crash into the young girl's brain all at once. Even though there was still a lot of information, Claudia could take it in parts, she wasn't seeing everything at the same moment. It was more like the Warehouse was a big book shelf and she could take out each book she wanted and read very quickly in it.

They were one, Claudia and the Warehouse, while still being two different personalities. But they needed each other. The young caretaker took a deep breath and somehow it felt like the Warehouse was taking one, too. It felt fresh and new. But then the redhead blinked, confused. It was also concerned about something but it had problems to make clear what it was. Claudia felt it's state of slight confusion like it was her own feeling.

"System booted." Artie suddenly said next to her. "Artifacts responding. Gooery working, Dark Vault working, the Artifact Disturbance Sensorics working, even the ropeway is working."

He gave her a soft hit with his elbow in the side. "Looks like we were able to set right what you messed up."

Claudia turned her head and caught him smiling. "Yes, what I have messed up." She replied without really knowing what she meant by saying it.

"So, the Artifact Disturbance Sensorics are working?" She asked instead of thinking about it.

"Yeah, they are still booting actually, but they are booting without any errors so far." The agent nodded and leaned on the banister.

"Well, I think we'll need them." The young caretaker said absently-minded.

"What do you mean?" Artie shot her a slightly concerend glance. Yes, what did she mean? Claudia wasn't very sure herself. She just had the feeling that something was going extremely wrong and that it was caused by an artifact. So the Artifact Disturbance Sensorics would probably help figuring out what this could be.

"I have the feeling we'll need them." Claudia replied and raised her hands to wave and wiggle them around her own head. "Somehow... caretaking feelings. Strange stuff. Just a feeling."

"But as far as I know Mrs. Frederic has already given us a list about artifacts which are out of control." The man shook his head in confusion.

Claudia didn't stop her gestures. "Maybe there are more out of control now? I just have a strange feeling, Artie and this is somehow new to me and... I can't tell what's going on. Warehouse feels. Wibbly wobbly."

"You will learn to handle them." Mrs. Frederic suddenly spoke up behind them and they both jumped in surprise.

"Mrs. Frederic?" Claudia's eyes widened, she dropped her hands to her sites. "Are you still able to do the Mrs. Frederic-ing?"

The former caretaker tilted her head und surveyed her skeptically.

"The teleporting, Mrs. F." The redhead tried to explain. "The appearing out of nowhere."

"No." Mrs. Frederic replied. "I'm just a very quiet walker." With this she looked at Artie, an unspoken suggestion for him to leave. He obeyed easily and disappeared into his office.

"So, but you were actually able to teleport, Mrs. F. Don't tell me you 'quietly walked' everywhere. The door to Artie's office was closed when you appeared today." Claudia rolled her eyes.

"You will learn everything a caretaker needs to do their job properly." The older woman declared.

"So I'm able to Mrs. Frederic now?" The redhead wouldn't let go of the topic.

"You will be able to do everything I was able to do, yes." The former caretaker replied. "And I will teach you."

"So... I can teleport...?"

"Claudia!"

"This is very important information to me, Mrs. F." Claudia's eyes widened as she caught the older woman rolling her eyes. Immediately, she dropped the topic. "Or, we could talk about the stuff you want to talk about right now."

"With time, you will learn everything, Claudia." Mrs. Frederic explained and leaned on the banister, too. She looked over the Warehouse aisles. "Even the... 'Mrs. Frederic-ing'." The redhead looked from the corner of her eyes at the older woman and caught her smiling slightly.

"I am going to miss the Warehouse." Irene said somewhat absent-mindedly. "I didn't expect that today was the day I was going to lose it."

"Well, it's still there, it's not like you're leaving forever or anything, right?" The young caretaker asked, a little nervous. "I'm not going to handle this all myself."

"Miss Donovan." Mrs. Frederic said in a very strict tone of voice. "I'm still in charge of this facility. This is still my Warehouse. I still make the rules."

Claudia nodded and didn't dare look at her.

"Just because I'm not linked to the Warehouse doesn't mean I'm going to retire completely and stop working. Even though I like the thought of a vacation." Immediately, the girl imagined Mrs. Frederic at the beach under a big sun umbrella, but somehow still in her clothes and with her purse held in her hands on her lap. The only difference was that she was wearing sunglasses.

"We have to be clear here, Claudia." The former caretaker pulled Claudia out of her imagination. "You are now the caretaker. But you're not completely in charge or alone. I will teach you everything I know, but the responsibility is still mine. And of course the Regents make the decisions."

She looked at the younger woman over the top of her glasses.

"Of course, Mrs. Frederic." Claudia was more relieved than anything else. She knew Mrs. F was trying to tell her that it wasn't on the new caretaker to make the decision all on her own, so she shouldn't make promises she couldn't keep. But everything Claudia heard was that she wasn't alone in this. And she was glad to hear that.

"Until the day I decide that it's now on you to not only take care of the Warehouse but also of everything that's linked to it." The older woman nodded and Claudia raised her eyebrows in confusion. "I mean the paperwork, Claudia."

"Oh, right."

"And of course we will talk to the Regents together. Because you're very important in considering those decisions. Because you know what is good for the Warehouse." Claudia could feel herself blush a little at those words. But in fact, it was true. Now that she was linked to the Warehouse, she was the only one who could feel its needs. Whether she was any good at it was a different question. But somehow Mrs. Frederic had suggested, in her strange way of saying things without saying them, that maybe she was.

"Well." Mrs. Frederic said in a tone of voice that was more business and Claudia assumed their mother-daughter or teacher-student or whatever this was moment was now over.

"You were saying to Arthur that you were having a strange feeling?" The former caretaker asked.

Claudia nodded. "Yes." She replied. "I don't know if it's my feeling or the Warehouse's feeling."

"Claudia, the Warehouse's feelings are now your feelings. You're one. I think you know that." The older woman tilted her head and the redhead nodded in reaction.

"Yes." She shrugged. "It's just strange to say." The girl sighed. "Well, we are concerned about something but we don't know about what."

"That's not very specific, Claudia."

"What do you want me to do? I'm new at this!" Claudia shrugged.

"Yes, you are." Mrs. Frederic stepped closer and placed a hand on the younger woman's shoulder. "But we will find out. Close your eyes, Cla-"

"No, Myka, I haven't seen Sarah. I don't even know who that is." Helena stepped out of an aisle, looking very pre-occupied. The former caretaker and the new caretaker looked over the gallery's banister down to the Warehouse aisles. Their eyes met the Victorian's who showed them a more than worried facial expression. Behind her, Myka stepped out of the aisle as well and looked very concerned. "But we have to find her!" She nodded like it was very important. "She can't get lost again." Myka's face changed immediately. "Why are we in the Warehouse?" She asked confused. "The last thing I remember is the B&B. Oh god, please tell me I didn't get whammied!"

The two women on the Warehouse gallery looked at each other. "I think we might have found out what the problem is." Claudia pursed her lips.

"Indeed." Mrs Frederic said. "Let's see how we can help her."


	14. Chapter 14

_Helena shivered in her chair. She had fallen asleep and apparently, Dr. Cho had put a jacket over her. The Brit smiled slightly at the gesture but then she realised she was alone. Where had the therapist gone? She couldn't be alone right now. Still waiting for news from Myka's surgery. Helena had lost any sense of time right now. She looked at her wrist but realised her watch was gone. She couldn't quite remember where she had put it. She had seen it last in the Warehouse aisle, but... then Myka had happened._

_The lift doors opened and Helena recognised Pete standing in the lift. He looked terrible when he stepped out of it, looking around searchingly. His face was pale and obviously he had been crying; his eyes were reddened. His gaze fell on Helena in her chair across from the lift and he took a deep breath before he walked over to her. The writer's whole body shook as she tried to rise from her chair to greet him. She teared up as she watched him walking over to her. Immediately, she lowered her gaze to the ground. Her chest tightened and she felt so sad and desperate and alone. What should she tell him? She had been in the Warehouse once and it had ended like this. What would he say? The Victorian felt guilty, even though Myka had told her it wasn't her fault. How could she believe her? It was obvious that things like this didn't happen when Helena wasn't around. It was better..._

_Pete had approached her and suddenly, HG could feel him wrapping his arms around her._

_"Helena, I came here as fast as I could." He said with a sad, but calming voice. Helena. He had called her Helena, she noted. He never..._

_The warmth of Pete's arms flooded into Helena's body. He was here with her. Pete was her friend, she knew this. And she had disappointed him... Helena felt the tears now running freely over her cheeks. She made a sobbing noise so weak and desperate that she was surprised by it herself. She had the feeling of watching herself falling apart completely, into tiny pieces, in Pete's arms._

_He started speaking softly to her. The writer didn't understand one of his words. But she listened to his voice, while her hands clung to the fabric of his jacket. She buried her nose and forehead in his shoulder, dampening it with her tears. Then she felt how Pete moved and pulled her up with him. The Warehouse agent was a tall and strong man and HG was small and light. Easily, he pulled her up to sit in his lap while he sat down on a chair, holding her like he would hold a child._

_HG cried. She could only remember one time in her life where she had cried quite so much as she was now. And that had been over a hundred years ago. Pete held her. He wrapped his strong arms around the time traveller and held her while she cried as though she was mourning her child again._

_____________________________________

Dr. Calder pulled back from Myka and sighed, looking at the others. Trailer tilted his head and stared very intensely at the Warehouse agent. "Well, as her physician I have to say that there's nothing wrong with her physically. She is a healthy woman in her early thirties-" The doctor declared.

"As I said, Dr. Calder." The Warehouse agent nodded in approval. "I may be pregnant, but this doesn't mean I can't work like everyone else."

Helena inhaled loudly. The group currently crowding around Myka, who sat in Claudia's chair in Artie's office, exchanged worried looks.

"- who seems to be very, very confused." The physician continued her explanation.

"Confused is not even the quite the correct word." HG shook her head in desperation. "She seems to oscillate between emotions and... I don't even know if those are memories she's talking about... but she appears to switch between those very quickly."

"Sounds like a major whammy." Claudia nodded. "We have to find out what caused this."

"Yes, it seems she's affected by an artifact." The Victorian agreed. "But we didn't come into contact with anything other than the board game."

"The board game couldn't possilby have caused this." Artie sat down in his chair and surveyed the mentioned object, harmlessly set on his desk as it was. "It causes a lot of havoc when it's active, but not confusion like this."

"We didn't come into contact with anything else, Arthur." The writer repeated.

"HG." Claudia tilted her head, looking at her. "This is the Warehouse. You could have come into contact with anything without knowing it."

"Which leads into the assumption that it will be a damn long stretch of research to figure this out." Abigail pursed her lips.

"Actually, I don't think we have anything like that on the list." Artie shrugged at her and started typing on his keyboard.

"Claudia, Pete has eaten everything in the fridge. Again." Myka rolled her eyes. "How can we possibly survive after this kind of case if there's nothing in the fridge? We have to tell Leena."

"Yes, of course, Myka." Claudia replied and looked at the others with a frightened expression. "I will tell Leena immediately."

The confused Warehouse agent nodded, turned in her chair and started playing with Tray. Mrs. Frederic had been silent for a very long time, during which she had surveyed the curly haired woman. "Her state of confusion is really unsettling." She stated with a calm voice. "But I can't remember even one artifact that can cause this kind of confusion." She narrowed her eyes. "There are a lot which can confuse you in very different kinds of ways." The former caretaker shook her head. "But not like this."

"Great." Helena shrugged. "Not even the caretaker of the Warehouse knows what could be going on."

"Former caretaker." Claudia corrected.

"Pardon?"

"There was a slight change in the job positions." The redhead spoke. "The Warehouse rejected Mrs. Frederic as its caretaker ...and I got more or less promoted." She listened to herself for a second. It felt actually good to say something like this. To admit it out loud.

"Oh." The Victorian looked at her in surprise. "Well, I knew a great destiny was waiting for you. This is really good news, Claudia." She looked at Mrs. Frederic. "I'm sorry."

"No." Irene replied. "No reason to be sorry. It was the wish of the Warehouse; I freely accept its decision."

Myka jumped up from her chair. The Warehouse agent looked very angry. "No!" She yelled which caused the dog to hide under a desk, where he had hidden all day. "No, I will not accept this! Claudia! Call Pete! I have to speak with him directly."

"Myka." The young caretaker tilted her head. "Maybe it's not the best idea-"

"Call him now!" The Warehouse agent fixed her with a ferocious look.

"Okay." Claudia shrugged. "Death glare. Wow."

Abigail rose from her leaning position at the desk. "I'll get a Farnsworth." On her way back from one of the desks towards Myka, the keeper of the inn called the demanded person.

Pete appeared on the screen. "The plane is landing any minute and then we'll have to take that two hours car trip."

"Good, Pete." The therapist smiled softly. "But well, we seem to have a bit of a situation with Myka and she wants to speak to you. Don't be surprised, it appears she got whammied."

The Warehouse agent blinked in confusion as the Farnsworth was handed over to his partner.

"Pete!" Myka spoke and pointed her finger at him. "I did not allow you to take Sarah with you to that game. She's grounded."

"Woah, Mykes. Keep calm. What?" Pete asked, confused.

"Don't 'keep calm' me! You will bring her home immediately! You might be the nice uncle, but rules are there for a reason." The woman's voice was strict. Her partner blinked another few times in confusion until he nodded. "Oooof course, Mykes. I will bring her home immediately. I'm so sorry."

"Good for you! Also she told me before sneaking out of the house that she has lost her watch. Tell her I haven't found it yet." She replied.

"Myka, could you maybe hand me over to HG for a second?" Pete asked and pursed his lips.

"Yeah. But she agrees with me about Sarah's grounding." Myka furrowed her eyebrows. Helena looked entirely lost at sea about this. Claudia couldn't tell from looking at her face which confused her more, the fact that Pete wanted to speak to her or that Myka just declared they agreed on a mysterious third person's grounding.

"Of course she does." Pete shrugged.

As Myka handed over the Farnsworth to the Victorian, her facial expression changed. She looked at Artie. "No this must be a misunderstanding. I'm too valuable to be wasted here."

The elder man sighed deeply.

"Okay, what the hell is going on, HG?" Pete grumbled at Helena.

"I have no idea, Peter. She's ...just... confused." The writer replied and shook her head.

"You are back at the Warehouse for less than one single day and she gets such a strong whammy?" The Warehouse agent asked indignantly. Claudia could tell Helena was hurt by his words. Her face changed immediately to a cold one and she replied with a slightly impersonal voice.

"Oh, do you wish to imply that it is my fault, Peter? Because, yes, it is definitely my fault. I came back to the Warehouse and the first thing I made happen is Myka getting 'whammied'. This is a very fine choice of words here." She snorted. "The next thing you could do is start calling me 'Lady cukoo' again. I would really enjoy that."

"HG, I-" Pete began and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"No, Peter. Seriously, this is just rude. You know I would nev-"

"Okay, and now we calm down." Abigail interrupted HG and clapped her hands once. "And write down every thing that we dislike in the other person."

Everyone stared at her in abject confusion. Except for Myka, who spun in her chair and yelled. "Tracy, dad's new office chair is so cool!"

"Well." The keeper of the inn said, holding up her hands in defense. "Therapist joke. I'm sorry. But instead of dwelling on that, we could start working on solving the problem here!"

"Has anybody seen Sarah?" Myka asked. Claudia sighed deeply. "Yes, she's playing with Tray in the garden." She told her. This way there would be no reason for extra worries to be added to her state of confusion.

"Oh, okay." The older woman looked down at the desk and took a pencil to write on a sheet of paper. Claudia bent over and peeked at the paper only to find that the agent was working on artifact cases that had already been solved.

"Who is Sarah anyway?" HG asked, very interested. "She had been talking about this person all day. Even before she started being this confused."

"I have no idea." Pete replied from the Farnsworth. "Uhm, call me back in a few minutes, will you? We're landing, and we have to turn all our devices off and stuff."

"Of course, Peter." Helena said and closed the Farnsworth. "So, Sarah?" She asked and looked at the others. Claudia lowered her gaze to the ground. Of course she knew. Myka had told her everything about the time travel. But she had also told her that it was important to not tell HG about this because it could change something.

"You do know something." The Victorian exclaimed after watching Claudia's conflicted face. It wasn't a question. It was a statement. The young caretaker bit her lip. Maybe this information could help them solve what was going on with the agent. But the readhead was afraid to reveal too much. So she pondered over this for a second until she made the decision to give some information about this. "Well." She began. "Myka had a small whammy a few months ago where she was able to sort of glimpse into the future. Sarah is her daughter. Or... will be her daughter. Maybe."

Helena's eyes widened. She looked at Myka, who was still busily writing on her paper. "But... with whom?" The writer quietly asked, obviously as surprised as she was confused. Claudia had the feeling she could actually watch the questions forming in the Victorian's head, but she didn't want to answer any of them. Not yet.

"And now some kind of artifact seems to have confused her so much that she can't differentiate between her real memories and those she has seen in this future?" Dr. Calder watched the Warehouse agent, tilting her head in thought.

"It seems that way. Also it looks like she has problems filtering out older memories. Currently, it looks like she's a living breathing kaleidoscope of her own memories." Artie said, still working on his keyboard. "But that doesn't bring us any nearer to the source of this confusion. Which must be an artifact."

"Agreed." Mrs. Frederic nodded. She turned her head and looked at the young caretaker. "But, Claudia, we are able to solve this problem."

Suddenly Myka jumped up. She looked very clear minded for a second and pointed at Claudia. "Claudia, it's wrong. Something is wrong! Something should have happened, I know it." Trailer started barking under the desk.

"What are you talking about Myka?" The girl stepped closer to her friend. "What's the problem?"

"Something has changed!" The confused Warehouse agent spoke nervously. "Something's different. Something hasn't happened!"

"What has changed, Myka? I know you want to tell me something, but I don't understand." Claudia took Myka's hand and looked deeply into her eyes. She wanted to help her friend so badly, but she didn't know how and she didn't know at all what she was talking about.

"Sarah deserves to live." Myka spoke, her voice grave. And then the moment was over. The Warehouse agent shook off the young caretaker's hand and sat down in her chair. "Claudia has already mentioned the hunter, Helena." She said and Claudia almost couldn't hear it over the loud noise caused by the dog. "Tray! Stop it!" She yelled and the dog obeyed, to her surprise.

"That's something we've already talked about today. The hunter from the Jumanji game." The Victorian nodded and watched the curly haired woman writing on her paper.

"'Something has changed.'" Abigail quoted Myka thoughtfully.

"But what does she mean with that?" Claudia threw up her hands in confusion.

"Claudia, if it has something to do with the Warehouse and the artifacts in it, you can find out. You have to meet your guide." Mrs. Frederic declared.

"My what?" The redhead asked, confused, and turned towards her.

"You can find out what has caused this. If it's in the Warehouse, it will lead you to it." The former caretaker pulled two chairs closer together and sat down in one of them. "Please sit." She suggested.

"My what? Mrs. Frederic, what do you want me to do?" Claudia moved closer to the chairs.

"I'll lead you but you will be guided by someone else." Mrs. Frederic nodded. "But first I want you to sit."

Everyone watched attentively as the new caretaker took position in front of the old one. Claudia eyed the older woman very shyly as she took both of her hands in her own. Mrs. Frederic looked deeply into the redhead's eyes - as though she was searching for something. "Good." She stated, nodding like she had found it. Suddenly Trailer barked again, once, and left his place under the desk. He sat down at a point next to Claudia and looked attentively at the open doorway connecting Artie's office and the Warehouse's gallery.

The girl swallowed nervously. "Mrs. F?"

"Please close your eyes, Claudia." The other woman said with a stern look.

"You won't hypnotise me, will you?"

"Claudia!"

"Okay, closing my eyes." The redhead said, concern lingering in her voice.

"You are searching for something in the Warehouse." Mrs Frederic said in her usual calm tones. It reached Claudia's ears and heart, causing her to sigh. "But you don't know what it is. The Warehouse can show you, but you need someone to guide you. It's your connection to the Warehouse which will lead you. Do you feel this connection, Claudia?"

"Uhm, yes, since I'm _connected_ to it."

"Claudia!"

"Yes, totally feeling my connection." Claudia concentrated on the link she shared with the Warehouse, its mood, the questions it was answering and the answers it was giving to different questions. The Warehouse was working busily all the time, looking at the artifacts stored inside it, observing and judging them. It felt like it interrupted its current work for a moment, to reach out a hand for Claudia.

"Good." Mrs Frederic's voice calmly spoke. "Now take it."

Claudia concentrated on the Warehouse's invitation. She reached out an imaginary hand and let the Warehouse take over to lead her.

Suddenly, she felt a change around herself. There were no more noises of Artie typing on his keyboard. The constant scratching of Myka writing on her paper had disappeared as well. No one breathed or coughed. Trailer had stopped panting. Claudia furrowed her eyebrows and opened her eyes. Artie's office hadn't changed; the people inside it had. They had stopped all activity, frozen in the last thing they had been doing. It was like time had paused. The new caretaker was confused. She quickly looked around the office, trying to find something to explain this situation. She was just about to let go of Mrs. Frederic's hands and rise from her chair as her view fell on the frozen Trailer and then at the point he was glaring at. A person leaned in the door frame between Artie's office and the Warehouse gallery. The redhead's eyes widened as she recognised who that person was.

"Hello, Claudia." Leena smiled.


	15. Chapter 15

_The head surgeon stepped out of the elevator and took off his cap. He looked around until he found Helena and Pete sitting in their chairs. The Victorian was leaning against the Warehouse agent's shoulder, getting some rest in a not very deep sleep. She was woken up by the surgeon adressing Pete._

_"Are you Peter Lattimer? There is one noted in her forms as her emergency contact person." The surgeon said and Pete nodded while he and Helena stood up from their chairs._

_"Good. We're done with the surgery and have transferred Miss Bering to the critical care unit." The doctor explained. "Her condition is stable at the moment, but I have to be honest with you. We'll have to see if she'll make it through the night."_

_Pete and HG sucked in the air loudly. The Warehouse agent took the Victorian's hand immediately and she could feel the tears forming in her eyes again._

_"But since you're her emergency contact person you can visit her. A nurse will take you there." The surgeon said, then looked at the writer. "And you-"_

_"She'll come with me." Pete interrupted him._

_"Of course." The other man nodded and looked at a nurse at the reception. She approached them immediately and he gave her the instruction to lead the both of them to the critical care unit to see Myka Bering._

_Pete didn't let go of Helena's hand while they walked through the hospital. He pressed it gently as the nurse opened the glass door to Myka's room for them and led them inside. HG swallowed and her chest tightened as she faced the younger woman lying in a bed, linked to so many tubes and things she had sometimes seen on television but couldn't quite name._

_"There are chairs for you." The nurse said shyly. "So you can stay with her. If you think it will help." Then she left them._

_Helena couldn't take her gaze from Myka. She stood there, completely overwhelmed by her own fear and the reality of her love still being at the edge of life and death. The Victorian felt Pete leading her to a chair and gently pressing her schoulders down until she sat in it. He took the seat next to her and curled his hand around her's again._

_"She's gonna make it." He said, forcing out each word. "She's strong and she's gonna make it."_

_They were silent for a while, staring at Myka and the screens that showed her heartbeat, blood pressure and god knew what else._

_"She's gonna make it." Pete declared again._

_"I wish I could believe you. I wish I could believe any of you saying that." The Victorian replied monotonously._

_"Damn it, HG. She'll stay for you. You know that she loves you, don't you?" The man grumbled, not taking his eyes from his partner in the bed._

_"All I know is that I love her." Helena said._

__________________________________________

"Leena?" Claudia asked, entirely unsure about this... apparition?... and rose from her chair. She mentally noted that she hadn't really let go of Mrs. Frederic's hands but was still able to walk towards the woman standing in the door frame. "What are you doing here? You're dead. Leena, you're _dead_."

It was a strange experience to see the former keeper of the inn like this. Claudia could feel tears forming in her eyes, the same tears she had cried so often in lonely nights in her bed. "You're dead." She sobbed.

Leena nodded. "Yes, I am." She said and sounded very sad for a second. "But I do enjoy showing up every now and then as some sort of guide." She smiled shyly.

"A guide?" The young caretaker asked and turned to look at Mrs. Frederic. "Mrs F said something abo- Holy Frak!" The girl yelled as she faced herself still sitting in the chair and holding the former caretaker's hands. "What's that? Some kind of out of body experience?"

Leena giggled. "Yes, you could put it this way."

"Am I a ghost?" Claudia shook her head. "Are you a ghost?" She asked and turned around to survey the other woman. The curly haired woman tilted her head and narrowed her eyes for a second. "No." She finally said. "No, I'm not a ghost."

"But what are you then?" The redhead asked desperately, shooting nervous glances at everyone else. They were in the room with her, but still somehow immobile.

"A guide?" Leena suggested.

"A guide? Mrs. Frederic said something like that but I don't understand what it means!" Claudia complained.

The other woman nodded. "Take a walk with me? I will explain." She pointed towards the Warehouse gallery and the aisles. Claudia looked nervously at all the other people in the room, frozen in their last movements. She looked at Myka sitting in the chair and HG surveying her with a worried facial expression.

"They'll get along." Leena smiled. "Don't worry. They can wait."

The new caretaker looked at her, flabbergasted. "Has time stopped?"

"Well, no. It's more like you're currently not really existing in time. Oh, it's hard to explain how it works. It's a part of being a caretaker to take your own time in the Warehouse." Leena reached out a hand and smiled. "Come, take a walk with me."

Claudia took Leena's hand without hesitation, but she almost pulled back in surprise when she felt the soft and warm flesh of the other woman under her palm. "Did you expect me to be more cold and ghost-like?" Leena grinned.

"Well... I don't know. As far as I understand we currently have a Dumbledore and Harry at King's Cross situation here." Claudia said as they walked out of Artie's office onto the gallery.

Leena narrowed her eyes at those words. "Oh." She finally smiled. "You're saying that I'm Dumbledore."

"Well, I'm going to ask you the same question Harry asked him." Claudia pursed her lips. "Is this real or is it happening in my head?"

"Oh, I read those books and watched those movies a really long time ago, Claudia. Give me a second." Leena closed her eyes briefly as they walked hand in hand down the stairs to the Warehouse aisles. "Ah... yes. 'Of course it's happening inside your head, Claudia, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?' I think that was the quote and yes, this is what's currently happening. It's a pretty accurate description, actually."

The new caretaker smiled and lowered her gaze to the ground.

"Claudia, I'm dead." The former keeper of the inn said with a sad tone of voice.

"I know." Claudia replied in the same tone.

"And I'm not coming back. But There is a saying: as long as a man's name is still spoken, he is not yet gone. I live in every one of your memories. In everyone's memory. People who are remembered aren't really gone, just dead. I know that no one in this family will forget me and as long that doesn't happen I'll be here. I'm alive in your connection to the Warehouse." Leena nodded. "I'm your guide."

"My guide? What does that mean?" They turned into an aisle; Claudia had no idea where they were going but she followed Leena's lead willingly.

"Currently it means that I'm helping you understand Myka's problem. In other situations it would mean that I'd be helping you communicate with the Warehouse. I am the Warehouse as much as I am your memory of me. I'm here to help you understand it." The former owner of the B&B explained.

"So you're helping the Warehouse to articulate itself to me?" Claudia asked.

"Yes. You can put it like that."

"And you know what's happening with Myka?" The redhead wanted to know.

"Well, I have some sort of theory about this; I'm sure we'll find out together." Leena replied and looked into her eyes. Claudia smiled.

"This is aisle A113." She recognised a few minutes later, looking around.

Leena nodded. "It is."

"Why are we here? Oh wait!" Claudia closed her eyes for a second and pointed at her guide. "There was something on the list. There was an artifact disturbance here. But HG said they didn't come into contact with any other artifact than the board game." As she opened her eyes again, Leena had tilted her head.

"That seems to be the problem." She said mysteriously, leading Claudia to a shelf. The both of them stared at an object on the shelf. It was a wrist watch. The new caretaker recognised it: this was the wrist watch Myka had had an accident with months ago. But somehow it looked different, almost transparent. Like it was there and not quite there at the same time.

"Claudia, what do you know about time travel?" Leena asked, not taking her eyes from the watch.

"Not much. Actually. Just things from Doctor Who. I don't think they are very helpful." The redhead shrugged.

"Ah, yes. Okay. So let's solve this puzzle together. I think I can help you out a little." The former keeper of the inn took a deep breath. "Well, Claudia, imagine the future Myka has described to you. She's married to HG and has a daughter named Sarah... with a second child on its way as far as I remember?"

"How do you know that?" The new caretaker looked surprised.

"I'm in your head, remember?"

"Ah, right. Okay, so I imagine this future. Looks cool to me." Claudia nodded.

"Good. So we know that those two women are quite stubborn and sometimes so annoyingly clueless around each other. What if they needed some sort of special event to make this future actually happen?" Leena asked, brow furrowed thoughtfully.

"You mean, like an artifact affected Helena so she declared her love to Myka when she wouldn't have without it?" Claudia scrunched her nose.

"For example. We both know they need a slight shove in the right direction. I would do it myself, but you know... the dead thing. Uhm, okay. So you understood. Next step. What if those events that should have happened and led them into becoming a couple and having a future like this... what if they were supposed to happen today, but-"

"You mean, they didn't happen, Leena? They should have admitted their love to each other today and it didn't happen? Why?" Claudia was getting really confused now.

"What if the fact that Myka knew about this future - because of her time travel - made her avoid those events by mistake? Do you understand the concept of the butterfly effect? A small change can cause a bigger one over time?"

"You mean Myka did something small differently and now it changed the whole love declaration? But why is she so-"

"The simple choice of not walking into an aisle can cause a missing love declaration that should have happened in that aisle." Leena explained.

"You mean, Myka avoided to walk into aisle A113? Wh- Ah, because the watch is here and she didn't want to come into contact with it, especially not while HG is here." Claudia snapped her fingers.

"Right. That's what I'm saying." The other woman nodded.

"So HG hasn't declared her love to Myka - or the other way around - because they didn't walk into this aisle and whatever should have happened here to make them become a couple didn't happen. Because of the time travel. But why is Myka this confused? I mean, the future can be written differently, but there's still a chance of them becoming-" Claudia was interrupted by the other woman.

"Well, I think this is the part where I have to help you out. Do you remember what the reason for Myka's time travel was in the first place?" Leena tilted her head.

"Oh, well. Let me think." Claudia closed her eyes, concentrating. "Sarah, their daughter, tried to change something in time so she could avoid an accident that killed Myka in the future."

"Right." The former keeper of the inn nodded in approval. "But then... how did she travel through time?"

"The watch." Claudia simply stated.

"Exactly, but how did she find that watch? We both know it's an artifact. She may even have found it in the Warehouse. But I can tell you from everything I know about the Warehouse that there has never been an artifact like that in it."

"But what-"

"Sarah must have created that artifact herself the day her mother died. It was created from the watch she was wearing, which combined with her own grief and her other mother's grief. An artifact was born there, and it gave her the ability to travel through time." Leena explained.

"So, okay. Sarah will have a watch. That's pretty nice for her. What does this have to do with Myka?" Claudia had the feeling she couldn't quite follow the other woman's - or the Warehouse's - thoughts.

"The question is where she found the watch, Claudia." Leena said, looking directly into the redhead's eyes.

"What do yo- No." The new caretaker's eyes widened. "Are you saying she did find it in the Warehouse? What is a watch that isn't an artifact doing inside the Warehouse?" She asked in surprise.

"Maybe someone lost it here? Okay, I will stop speaking in riddles. During the events in this aisle, during which HG should have declared her love to Myka, she also should have lost her watch in this shelf." Leena pointed at the shelf next to them.

"HG's watch stopped today. When we were talking in the Gooery." Judging by her expression, Claudia was still trying to assimilate all this information.

"Yes. Maybe she took it off later. And then..."

"And it didn't happen because Myka avoided it by mistake." The redhead assumed.

"Right." Leena nodded. "And now imagine Myka's brain. She has seen a future with the help of time travel caused by an artifact. And by seeing this future she avoided the creation of the artifact that allowed her to travel through time and see the future that made her avoid it."

"My brain already hurts from thinking this thought." Claudia replied. "I don't want to know what's going on in Myka's."

"She's the only person with a real memory of this and now it didn't happen at all. Her brain is currently experiencing its very own time paradox." Leena explained.

"How do you even know all of this?" Claudia suddenly asked.

"I'm not only your memory, I'm also the Warehouse, Claudia. Time follows different rules for me." Leena spoke. "But how do you want to solve this problem?"

"There is only one solution I can see, Leena." The redhead looked into her eyes. "We have to make sure that this future could possibly happen even though she changed it."

"And that means?" The former keeper of the inn furrowed her eyebrows.

"We have to put that watch on this shelf." Claudia replied, determinedly turning around. She started walking out of the aisle. "We have to take that damn watch from HG and put it on this frakking shelf. It might be that they didn't admit their love to each other today, but we'll have to hold the possibility open that this future could still happen and we'll have to take care of the possibility that Myka has travelled through time in the past!"

Leena followed her after. "That might be right."

"Of course it is!" Claudia replied, jogging through the aisles. "I'm the caretaker of this freaking drawer of weird and I have a really intense ...vibe about this."

As they reached Artie's office, Claudia was about to head towards HG, but then she looked around at all her frozen friends. "Uhm, how do I make it back into their... state of being? Should I sit down in my own body or what?"

"Well." Leena smiled. "You're the caretaker, Claudia. Whatever you think is right to do."

The redhead turned around. She looked at her friend and suddenly felt sad again. Could she leave her here? Would Leena disappear again?

"And you'll still be here? Even when I'm back?"

The former keeper of the inn gave her a warm smile. "Claudia, I'm always here. I'm in your memory and in your heart. I'm always with you." She sighed. "But you have to promise me something." Their eyes met and suddenly Leena looked sad as well. "Promise me you won't look for me. I'm dead, Claudia. This is the truth and we have to accept it. Don't get lost in looking for me. You have to stay with the living. I am here, but I can't give you what they can." She sighed. "But you have so much to give, Claudia. I was the person who held this family together and now I'm gone. But you took this task over so willingly and easily. Claudia, you're not only taking care of the Warehouse. You're taking care of this family as well. You hold it together. And that's why it is important that you don't get lost with the dead ones."

As Leena spoke her last words, the new caretaker reached forward and wrapped her arms around her. She cried. Of course she cried. Because she missed Leena so badly and the fact that she was gone and now here at the same time - a part of her life without being able to take part in it- was frustrating and desolate. And still Claudia was happy to see her. To be able to ask her questions and communicate with her.

Leena had trembled a bit as she was hit with the force Claudia has jumped towards her but then she took the young caretaker into her arms as well. "You don't have to mourn me anymore, Claudia. Just remember me with a loving heart."

The redhead smiled into the fabric of Leena's shirt as the other woman gently caressed her hair and pressed a soft kiss into it.


	16. Chapter 16

_Myka had made it through the night. She had also made it through the next two days. Helena was tired. Utterly tired. But she didn't dare to fall asleep again. She was still sitting next to Myka's bed, as she had done over the past two days now, occassionally visited by different people from the Warehouse family. They told her to eat. So she ate, only barely, but she did as she was told._

_They talked to her to distract her from her anxieties. So she replied, barely, but she did it because she was expected to. But she didn't sleep. Even if everyone begged her to do so. Artie was the person who had been worried about her the most. He had often sat down next to her and watched her eat. When she had finshed, he had encouraged her to eat more, but she'd refused. He hadn't talked very much, but often, he just sat down next to her to be silent together with her. Pete had been at Myka's bed very often, too. But he had had to go back to the Warehouse to help clean up the mess they had caused. He had informed Helena about the neutralisation of the Jumanji artifact. A few hours later, the doctor had shown up to tell them that the bullet they had removed from Myka's body had disappeared. This had destroyed Helena's hope that the neutralisation of the artifact would also erase Myka's injury._

_Myka was still linked to so many tubes and monitors. The doctors had been able to remove the tube from her mouth because she'd started breathing on her own again, but she hadn't woken up yet. The main surgeon showed up occassionally. He had explained that sometimes, people needed time to recover from such an injury and surgery until they woke up. It didn't have to mean anything that Myka was taking so long. She just wasn't ready yet._

_And so Helena sat next to her bed. All day and all night, staring at her. Sometimes she got lost in her own mind and imagined Myka waking up, what would happen then. Helena was sure she would kiss her. Because she hadn't been able to do this after she declared her love to the agent._

_Sometimes Helena talked to Myka. She felt ridiculous while pleading with her to wake up, because she was sure the other woman couldn't hear her. But still the writer pleaded, because it helped her. Sometimes she declared her love to Myka again and again, begging her to stay. Myka never replied. But Helena felt better for doing it._

_The glass door opened and Artie stepped into the room carefully. His bushy eyebrows were in a knit as he looked first at Myka and then at HG._

_"There's somebody who wants to talk to you." He said shyly and with that Adelaide stepped into the room. She surveyed Myka and then Helena as well, smiled and nodded. "Hel, take a walk with me."_

_"Adelaide, what are you doing here?" The writer rose from her chair._

_"Walk with me? Please?" The girl said again, without answering the Victorian's question._

_"But I have to-"_

_"Aw come on, Helena. She's not going to run away, right?" Adelaide frowned. "I mean... she's lying there and all and you need to walk with me. Right here and right now."_

_"Adelaide!"_

_"Helena!"_

_They stared intensely at each other and it was the writer who broke eye contact. "Alright." She sighed. "I shall take a walk with you."_

_"Eleven years old." She mumbled a few seconds later at a slightly smiling Artie, as she passed him to follow Adelaide into the hall._

_"Okay." The girl started speaking direclty about what she wanted to tell Helena. "At first you need to eat. More. Because imagine how pissed off Myka would be if she finds out that you starved yourself to death while she was fighting for her life."_

_"Adelaide, I'm not hung-"_

_"Secondly." Adelaide interrupted her. "Sitting all day and night at her bed doesn't solve anything. There are a few things you have to do instead. Sleeping, for example. Oh. And you really should take a shower and change your clothes, Helena."_

_"But I-"_

_"It's a good thing I brought you some clothes and the nurses agreed that you can use one of the hospital's showers. So you can be clean when we go into the hospital's cafeteria together and have lunch. And afterwards, we will take a walk around the hospital so you get some fresh air."_

_"Adelaide!" Helena glared at the young girl, who just grinned and held a bag towards her. "No discussion, Helena."_

_The Victorian took a deep breath. She knew she had no chance against Adelaide in this dispute. "Eleven years old." She mumbled again as she took the bag hovering in front of her._

_______________________________

"You want my what?" Helena asked confused. Claudia shook her head and waved her held-out hand in front of her. "Your watch." She said strictly. "I need it."

"It was a present from Adelaide!"

"I know, but HG, you have to admit that Myka is currently more important than a present. Even though I know you like that girl." The caretaker's words made the Victorian sigh.

"But it has stopped and is completely useless without a new battery." The writer replied with furrowed eyebrows. The other people in the room shared confused looks. Claudia had not explained what she had seen while her eyes were closed for these few seconds. She just had jumped up from her chair and demanded the Victorian's wrist watch like it was an artifact.

"I know. You can't imagine how well I know that this watch has stopped." The new caretaker replied. "And now I need it. Helena, it's important for Myka."

After hearing her name, HG stared at Claudia for a moment with widened eyes. Then she shrugged.

"Why do I have the feeling that I won't get it back?" Helena smirked while she reached into the pocket of her pants.

"Because you won't. We need to put it somewhere so someone can find it." The redhead said mysteriously.

"And what do you mean by that, precisely?" The Victorian tilted her head in confusion as she reached out her hand to give the demanded object to Claudia.

"You should have a clear talk with Myka about this someday. But for now I just hope you'll trust me. For Myka." The girl smiled and grabbed the watch. The object was warm in her hand as her fingers curled around it. Claudia surveyed it for a second, but then she sighed. It was just a watch. It wasn't an artifact and somehow there wasn't anything special about this object at all. How could it have caused such a mess? In thought, the new caretaker turned around. She felt the other people's gazes on her but couldn't concentrate on them. For now it was just her and the watch. She would bring it into aisle A113 and then everything would be set right. For a short second she just thought about the aisle and how annoying it would be to walk all the way down there again. But it was important and...

"Holy frak!" Claudia exclaimed as she found herself in aisle A113 in front of the shelf Leena had led her to. She had no idea how she had made it to the aisle. She had no memory of walking here. She had...

Had she just teleported?

And if she had, how did it work? Claudia cursed at the thought of having done something and not knowing how it had worked. She utterly disliked the thought.

But she shoved it away for the moment. Now she had to put this watch into the shelf. She was sure it was the right thing to do, it was important. Claudia stepped back from the shelf where the artifact watch still lay in its half-existant transparent condition, and pondered over a good point to place it. So she moved over to the next shelf and got a vibe about the corner of another shelf where some older watches were lying. This looked about right. Somehow, Claudia knew it. It was like the watch demanded to be placed here. With a deliberate move of her hand, she almost slammed the object onto the shelf and gazed at it. For the part of a second she felt a small energy wave emerging from the watch. She had no idea what it meant, but she was sure it was right. The watch belonged there.

"And now stay here and do whatever you're supposed to do in the future!" She growled at it and then furrowed her eyebrows. Had she just beefed at an inanimate object?

Well, maybe this was what the caretaking was about in the first place. Talking to inanimate objects in a house that had... moods and talked back to her. The redhead sighed. Why was she worried about this? She had grown up in a weird world. And the axis of weird was now her home and she was in charge of it. It was the only logical outcome of this.

Instantly, Claudia moved over to the other shelf with the artifact watch. It was broken and bent, but she could see it clearly. It might have worked.

Artie's Farnsworth in the backpocket of Claudia's pants started ringing. The new caretaker sighed, pulled it out and opened it.

"Please." She glared at Abigail's face on the screen. "Tell me it helped."

"Whatever you did, Claudia, you did it well." The therapist nodded and looked very proud. "Myka is very tired and half asleep on the couch, but she is well. She looks like she has gone through a lot of stress and like she could use a long bath and some sleep. But she knows who and where she is and she dislikes the thought that she has been whammied again. Dr. Calder is currently examining her; says her brain needs rest."

The young caretaker sighed in relief. "First mischief as a caretaker managed." She smiled.

"I will come up any minute."

"Good, Claud." The keeper of the inn replied. "And as someone who takes care of the moral support of this family, I'd say we'll bring Myka to bed and make her rest. Because she looks really tired. And now that the Warehouse is running properly, we deserve to rest, too."

"Truer words have not been spoken." Claudia replied and closed the Farnsworth.

"Okay, caretaking superpowers!" She exclaimed and placed her hands on her hips. "To Artie's office! Now!" She bend her knees and jumped slightly. Nothing happened. "Event!" The girl yelled and raised one of her arms into a superman position. "Activate!" She jumped up and down. "Mrs. Frederic-ing! ...Teleport! ... Now!"

Claudia sighed and looked disappointedly down to the ground. "Walking it is, then."

__________________________________

The Warehouse family had placed Myka in the back seat of Claudia's car. The agent had problems holding her eyes open and not falling asleep.

Living with a time paradox in her own head had tired her. Myka had almost no memory of what happened. The last thing she could properly remember was the swamp and looking into her daughter's eyes. The rest was a darkness she couldn't leave. Sometimes she had felt like she was about to wake up. During those moments, she had been able to tell Helena and Claudia her worries and that she felt something was wrong. During the other episodes, she had felt like she was in a dream where she had heard Sarah crying. The girl's voice had faded away over time. It had become more and more quiet and turned into less than a whisper in the end. Myka was afraid. She knew something had changed. It was the only logical conclusion after this experience. But the agent couldn't tell at all what the change had been. All she could hope for was that the future as she had seen it was still a possibility for her and Helena. Helena... when Myka had woken up, the Victorian had been standing in a corner of Artie's office with crossed arms and a conflicted look on her face...

And that was all Myka could think before another wave of fatigue hit her like a freight train. She yawned and let her head fall back in the seat.

"Yes." Claudia said from her position behind the steering wheel. "Sleep a bit, Mykes. We're going to the B&B and there I will put you in bed."

They had told her what Claudia had done for her. The agent smiled a little. She was grateful for the young caretaker's help. Caretaker... they had told her. Claudia was now...

"I don't think it is normal to be this tired after being affected by an artifact." Myka heard Helena's voice, confusion clearly evident. The Victorian sat next to Claudia on the front passenger seat.

"Hmmm..." The young caretaker made. Her voice did it make barely to Myka's ears because the agent was slowly falling asleep. "I think after this kind of whammy it's more than normal. Her brain has been through a lot today."

HG hummed. "And you will not tell me what happened, will you?"

Myka smiled as she heard Claudia chuckle. "Maybe one day, HG."

"But-"

"Oh, look, Abigail is following us with her car. I'm sure she'll make you some tea in the B&B."

______________________________________

Mrs. Frederic stood on the Warehouse's gallery. She leaned on the banister and watched the aisles in front of her. It was something of a goodbye for her. A big part of her life had been occupied by this house, this entity. She had felt its feelings and moods; she had always known what it wanted from her. And now she was alone.

There was a noise on the left side of her. Mrs. Frederic turned her head to face Trailer looking very attentively at her. He panted a few times and then barked once.

Or maybe she was also not alone at all, because she knew that she was still linked to all the people around this facility. Mrs. Frederic wasn't sad about her disconnection from the Warehouse. Because she knew it was right and it was what the Warehouse wanted. But still... it was a goodbye.

Artie stepped out of his office and silently stood next to her. They were silent for a few minutes together, but the former caretaker of the Warehouse knew he wanted to say something. She could feel Artie's emotions very clearly. Besides, he made no real attempts to hide them. Sighing internally - because Mrs. Frederic was very interested in not showing her emotions towards people so easily - she turned her head towards the Warehouse agent and raised an eyebrow.

"So, well." He apparently felt free to say. "What a day, right, Mrs. Frederic? There seems to be a lot to tidy up." The agent pointed at some broken Warehouse shelves.

"Indeed." She replied reticently.

"So, Claudia's caretaker now. I can't-"

"Arthur, what do you want to talk about with me?" The former caretaker interrupted him. She currently wasn't very interested in his babbling. In fact she was never very interested in his babbling.

"Well, I took a look at Claudia's program after she's gone." Artie began and stopped speaking. Mrs. Frederic again sighed internally.

"Arthur I refuse to drag everything bit by bit out of you. Tell me what you want to tell me."

"Well, Claudia's program is flawless." The agent admitted and sounded a little indignant while saying it.

"Of course it is." Mrs. Frederic replied. "Claudia is a very competent person."

"Yeah, yes, I know, Mrs. Frederic, but..."

"Arthur, what do you want to say?"

"If Claudia's program really is that flawless, why did the Warehouse react this way? Because the program couldn't have destroyed anything." Artie nodded. "That's what I want to say. I see no connection between the program and the destruction of the Warehouse's electrics."

The caretaker furrowed her eyebrows and looked over the Warehouse aisles for a few moments. Then she smiled.

"Of course you don't, Arthur. Because there is no real connection." She stated.

"What do you mean by that?" The agent asked, confused.

Trailer had watched the two of them for the whole time. Now he jumped up to run down the stairs and disappear into a Warehouse aisle. He barked happily.

"Sometimes, Arthur." Mrs. Frederic replied and thought about Claudia and HG Wells while following the dog with her gaze. "Sometimes the Warehouse makes its own decisions."


	17. Chapter 17

_Helena woke up in the camping bed they had placed in Myka's room for her. She had actually slept and it had helped. She could feel her strength slowly coming back. With a yawn, she opened her eyes and turned towards Myka's bed, which stood a slight distance from her own._

_The agent was still unconcious. But she wasn't as pale anymore as she had been in the last days. HG could feel she was getting better, even though she hadn't woken up yet. With a warm feeling in her stomach, the Victorian watched the younger woman; she studied the curve of her jaw, her nose, the graceful line of her eyebrows._

_Which slightly twitched. Helena sat up in bed without taking her eyes off Myka. The agent hummed slightly which caused the Victorian to gasp._

_"I can feel you staring." Myka murmured. And Helena couldn't help but smile._

_"Myka!" She blurted out and never felt happier. "You're awake!"_

_The younger woman hummed again without opening her eyes. "Well." She replied and moistened her lips with her tongue. "Barely. They seem to have given me the good stuff."_

_"Shall I call for the nurse for you so they can fetch you something to drink?" HG asked. That sounded logical, since Myka had been unconcious in bed for several days._

_"No." The agent replied. "I think I will fall asleep again any moment and before that happens I want to say something." She opened her eyes and turned her head to look directly into the writer's. "And you better not interrupt me."_

_"Myka, I'm so sorry, I should have-" Myka glared indignantly at her. "What did I just say?"_

_Helena simply nodded and lowered her gaze to the ground._

_"You were right." Myka began. HG looked up into her eyes again and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "I should have let you talk earlier." She took a deep breath; apparently talking wasn't very easy for her. "Because we have so much to discuss. There's so much left unsaid - which we will talk about in the future." Myka closed her eyes again and shifted slightly in bed. She seemed to be in some pain: her eyebrows twitched and she pursed her lips._

_"Myka, are you alright, shall I call the-"_

_"For now." Myka interrupted the older woman, emphasizing every word. "All I want to say is that I love you, too. That's all I want you to know, before I fall asleep again."_

_She paused and Helena didn't know if she wanted to say more or not. All she knew was that there was a warm feeling in her heart. She was happy, no matter how frightening their situation was. She loved Myka and Myka loved her. That was everything they needed to care about. Everything that was important for the future. With a dopey grin, HG Wells stared at the woman she loved._

_The younger woman reached a hand up to her neck and rubbed it slightly. "I think." She murmured, sounding a little shier than during the rest of her speech. "This is the point where you should walk over and kiss me?"_

_HG's eyes widened. "I-...I would love to do that." She stuttered. "But, Myka...is that...alright? I mean-"_

_"Helena, come over here or I will leave this bed and then you'll surely have to face the wrath of the nurse when you have to call her because I fell down o-" Myka was silenced by Helena's lips. The kiss was soft, skin barely brushing against skin, but for HG, it meant everything to feel the younger woman's lips against her own. As she gently cupped Myka's cheek with her right hand, she could feel a heavy arm wrapped around her own neck. With this, Helena felt home. She knew she belonged to Myka and she knew there hadn't been anything in her life she did want so much as kissing Myka Bering._

_"Woah!" Claudia's voice said and in reaction, Helena pulled back from Myka, completely alarmed._

_"Claudia!" She yelled, clutching her chest while being very sure she just had gotten a mild heart attack._

_"I'm sorry!" The new caretaker replied in an alarmed voice. "If I would have known I would Mrs. Frederic into porn I would have taken the door! And I would have knocked!"_

_Helena grinned and felt how Myka's hand softley slipped into her own. Claudia raised both arms and grinned brightly. "Mykes! You are awake!"_

_"Barely." The agent replied and smiled softly. She opened her eyes for a short moment and blinked but then she closed them again. "And I don't know for how long."_

_"Okay, so then let me give you a quick update before I will run around the hospital and hug every person on my way to inform the others about this fact."_

_"You want to walk out of this hospital?" Helena asked with a slight grin. She gently squeezed her love's hand._

_"Oh right! This is the first information, Mykes. I'm caretaker now! Caretaker! Isn't it hilarious? Today I was taught how to properly Mrs. Frederic and as you two have witnessed, I just Mrs. Frederic-ed into this room."_

_"Mrs. Frederic?" Myka said with her eyes closed but a slight smile. "I would have thought you would insist of naming it after yourself. I would have said 'I just Claudia-ed into this room.'"_

_"Right." HG nodded in agreement. "I would have done the same, but since you want to keep the name, we shall still call it 'Mrs. Frederic'."_

_"What?" Claudia sounded surprised. "No!" She waved her hands very nervously. "To claudia is awesome. Dudes, I want this named after me! Sure I want that."_

_Helena smiled at Myka who showed a slight smile as well. She knew everything was going to be alright._  
___________________________________

Claudia watched Myka sitting down on her bed. The agent looked extremely tired and apparently had problems holding her eyes open. As the new caretaker opened one of Myka's drawers, the older woman yawned profusely.

"Where's Helena?" She asked and then yawned again.

"Uhm, I made her sit down in the living room, I think Abigail's taking care of her. Don't worry. You deserve some sleep, Myka." The redhead replied while pulling out a shirt and some shorts for the agent.

The brunette nodded and yawned again. "I'm tired."

"I can see that." Claudia chuckled. Myla looked especially dorky when very tired.

"But HG..." Myka's voice faded away as she pulled her beige shirt over her head. Claudia's view fell on the older woman's shoulder. She smiled knowingly and then turned around to give the agent some privacy. _How uncertain could a future be that left such an impressive mark on Myka's shoulder?_ Claudia asked herself and grinned.

The caretaker crossed her arms and smiled while staring at the wall in front of her without really seeing it. Everything was going to be alright. Sometimes, people just needed a slight shove into the right direction. Leena had said that and Claudia knew which direction was the right one for Myka and HG. She just had to help them to figure it out for themselves. Yes, Claudia had been angry with the Victorian when she had met her today, but well... She was her friend, and being angry was her right as a friend. Also it was her right to maybe shove her into the direction she needed to be shoved.

"Claudia, I'm afraid the future has changed." The agent mumbled. "If Helena doesn't..." She yawned again.

"Let me take care of her." Claudia nodded.

"Right, you're caretaker, now." Myka murmured while shifting out of her worn clothes and into her new ones.

"Yes." the redhead turned around and smiled at the other woman, who snuggled into her pillows. "I am caretaker now."

A few minutes later, Claudia closed the door to Myka's room behind herself. Her hand rested on the door knob as she stared into space while pondering over her next move in this. Then she smiled. "I'm caretaker now." She quietly said to herself. Immediately, she walked over to her own room. Quickly, she opened the door, entered her room and turned on the lamp on her desk. She rubbed her hands and grinned. Then, she pulled out a piece of paper from the pile she used to draw her inventions or modifications. The redhead searched for a pencil, but changed her mind. No. This needed to look a little more official, she decided as she took a proper pen and started to write on the paper. This was right, she could feel it. Myka was afraid that their future would be completely changed when she did something differently. Apparently, that had happened today. But there was one important thing about Myka and HG, Claudia knew: They had forgotten about how big a role the Warehouse played in their lives.

If the caretaker didn't know better, she could have sworn she felt the Warehouse smirk.

__________________________________________

Helena eyed Dr. Cho in the armchair in front of her, feeling a little insecure. The clock in the B&B's living room ticked rhythmically and made the silence between them utterly awkward. Somehow HG felt very confused but she had also a slight warm feeling inside her stomach. She couldn't explain it. All she could think about instead was that Myka had kissed her today and hadn't been herself while doing it. In fact, it seemed the agent had seen a future in which she apparently had a child with someone who could imagine having children. Helena was sure that couldn't be her. The thought made her sad. But at the same time she was relieved that Myka was well. They had rescued her and fixed the chaos that had happened. With the help of the wrist watch which Adelaide had given HG as a present. Helena couldn't explain that either.

"That's a nice brew." Instead, she complimented the beverage this Dr. Cho had brought her some minutes ago. She slightly raised the cup she was holding.

Abigail nodded. "I had the feeling you might be more of a tea person." She replied with a soft smile.

"Yes, I am." Helena dropped her gaze towards the brown liquid and watched the three bubbles on it spinning slowly.

"So, HG Wells." The therapist leaned back in her chair. "Big fan." This situation felt now very awkward for Helena, but she nodded, while her lips curled slightly.

"Thank you." She scrunched her nose. "That was a long time ago."

"Well, but you're still the woman who wrote those books, right? It's not that you stopped being Helena G. Wells." Dr. Cho said so naturally that Helena could feel her chest tighten.

"Uhm, indeed. I'm still Helena Wells. But... a lot has happened since then."

Abigail raised her eyebrows. "And that has changed you completely?" She asked surprised.

The writer looked into the other woman's eyes while pondering over this. "Well, in fact I hope that I have changed because I... I don't know if I want to be the person I was back then."

The therapist tilted her head and gave her a piercing look. The Victorian bit her lip because she felt caught and couldn't explain why.

"You mean you don't want to be the person who was so angry and desperate after her daughter died." Dr. Cho asserted with a soft tone of voice.

Helena was impressed. This woman seemed to be very well informed. "Well, I... yes."

"Miss Wells. I hope you agree with me if I say that you shouldn't feel ashamed of your anger and the desperation you felt after your daughter died. The way you dealt with the resulting hole in your heart was your very own and you shouldn't be embarrassed just because you are a human being who can't help but mourn her daughter." Abigail spoke and Helena frowned.

"My very own way of dealing with it? Dr. Cho, I've hurt so many people, you can't imagine, especially those I love!" She tried to explain her suffering.

"Sometimes we hurt the people who want to help us. And then we run away from them to hide because we're ashamed. The fact is, Miss Wells, that it's alright to feel desperate. But there's no need for shame." The therapist eyed the writer over her teacup and smiled mysteriously.

"What...? How...?" The Victorian's face brightened as she remembered some earlier information. "You're a therapist. You're doing this professionally."

"What am I doing professionally, Miss Wells?" Dr. Cho asked and placed her teacup on the table.

"Telling people that everything will be alright. And that it is alright how they feel." Helena put down her cup as well, feeling very indignat. Abigail sighed.

"Well, I have to admit that you're right. I used to be a therapist. But currently, I'm a woman drinking tea with another woman in her own living room." Dr. Cho nodded. "And as this woman I say that everything will be alright, Miss Wells. And as a therapist, I have to say that it's completely alright how you felt..." She made a slight pause and looked directly into the Victorian's eyes. "And how you feel now."

Abigail smiled and rose from her chair. She leaned over the table to place her own teacup on the tray next to it. "I would enjoy talking to you more often, Miss Wells. Uhm, should I leave this tea here for you?" The therapist pointed at Helena's cup next to the tray.

"No thank you, Dr. Cho." Helena replied and shook her head no. "I will leave soon. And I don't think that talking would make sense considering how far I-"

"Ah, yes. Of course you're leaving." There was pity in Abigail's voice when she put the writer's cup on the tray. Picking the tray up from the table she looked at Helena. "But that doesn't mean you cannot come back every now and then, right? To talk."

HG stared at her. She didn't know at all how to deal with this woman. The therapist lowered her head in farewell and turned around to walk into the kitchen. "It was a pleasure to meet you, HG Wells. Still a big fan."

Helena followed her with her eyes. Who was this woman? She couldn't help but feel slightly challenged by her. HG Wells was very intrigued by Dr. Cho and this was one of the biggest compliments she was capable of giving.

But now the Victorian sat in this chair alone and she heard that clock ticking louder with every second. It was like she was misplaced in the living room of the B&B. She looked around and found the dinner table, where Claudia had once dropped a glass because the writer had made her nervous. Back then, when HG had been the woman with the evil plan. She felt the tears forming in her eyes. When she had been the villain.

Immediately, Helena shoved this thought away. She didn't want to think about that. How much she had betrayed everyone, how much she had hurt Myka back then. She rose from her chair and left the living room quickly. In the hall, she stared up the stairs for a minute. Lightly, she touched her own lips with her fingertips. Myka was up there in her room and Helena felt afraid to visit her there. She was so ashamed of what she had done and so had run away in her shame. And now she was ashamed of running and of being ashamed. She was afraid that Myka could never forgive her for this. Helena could understand why Myka had sent her away that day in Boone. And because she was used to hiding from her fears, HG turned around and marched towards the door. There, she stopped and closed her eyes.

She had to leave. She had been allowed to take a glimpse at this world she wished to be part of but again it had somehow hurt Myka. Pete had been right when he had said that. Surely, she wasn't good for the other woman. Helena reached out her hand and placed it on the door knob.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?" Claudia's voice asked behind her. The Victorian turned on her heels and let go off the knob.

"Uhm... no." She replied, shaking her head nervously. "I was just... I- I didn't know how long it would take you and I didn't want to..." Her voice broke.

Claudia smiled from her position on the top of the stairs at the older woman. The Victorian swallowed at the piercing gaze the girl showed with that smile. "Of course you wanted to go without saying good bye." Claudia said softly. HG just dropped her gaze towards the ground in reaction. Why did she keep feeling caught around everyone this evening?

"Well." The new caretaker of the Warehouse said while she quickly stomped down the stairs and then reached for her jacket at the wardrobe. "Your car is still standing at the coffee shop, right?"

Helena nodded. As she looked up she was sure she saw Claudia putting something into the pocket of her own jacket before dressing herself in it.

"I'll take you to your car." The redhead looked into the Victorian's eyes while arranging her collar and HG immediately knew there was no discussion about it. "Take a walk with me." Claudia smirked.


	18. Chapter 18

Helena glanced at Claudia from the corner of her eyes. They were walking side by side from the B&B to the coffee shop through an already dark Univille. The Victorian still felt as awkward as she had around Dr. Cho; neither woman had said a single word yet. It was the writer who decided to break the silence.

"So..." She shrugged slightly. "Caretaker."

"Yes." Claudia agreed with a grin. "Caretaker."

"That is rather a lot of responsibility." The Victorian stated and the redhead nodded.

"Yes, it is. But it's also a very interesting experience so far." She turned her head and smiled at the older woman.

"So you don't have any doubts about it?" HG asked, sounding utterly interested.

"Well, I did. I had a lot of doubts about this. For years. I mean, I remember myself being so in denial about my feelings towards this that I wanted to run away from the whole thing." The new caretaker shrugged. "But, this is a normal reaction to things that overwhelm you, right?"

Helena pursed her lips and dropped her gaze towards the street they were walking on.

"But, actually, the Warehouse is the place where I belong and it's a great honour for me to be - more or less - in charge over it." The younger woman explained. "The Warehouse is my home and the people in it are my family. I know I will struggle a lot with the task of being its caretaker at first, but I don't doubt for one second that every last member of this family will help and support me."

HG suddenly felt very lost. She asked herself if the girl knew what kind of feelings she was causing in the Victorian as she spoke. It sounded so familiar and frightening at the same time. Helena knew she was running away from the Warehouse. It was a fact, and she was completely aware of this. But even so, she couldn't find any way to keep herself from doing it. Claudia belonged to the Warehouse; Helena didn't even know where she belonged. The Warehouse couldn't be her home anymore, could it? Even though she wished for it. But still... how could she make her way back? How could she ask any of them to accept her after she had first betrayed them and then run away from them? This wasn't how one dealt with family. Well, Helena wasn't even sure if she had ever belonged to this family.

"How is Myka?" The Victorian asked instead of putting her desperation and fear into words.

"Oh, she's tired. But you've seen her. Everything is alright with that whammy and no, I won't tell you what happened... yet." Claudia replied with a smirk.

"But... Claudia!"

"Yes?" The caretaker asked, looking at her with sudden interest.

"I'm concered. I need to know that she's alright." Helena said quickly.

Claudia took a deep breath. "HG. "She spoke very softly. "Don't be afraid. Strange things happen every day. It's the Warehouse. Weird is part of the job and even though it can hurt you or frighten you, there's no reason to fear the Warehouse itself. Myka is alright and we'll take care of her."

"Good." HG replied and Claudia sighed. They turned into the street where the coffee shop was. "There's my car." Helena said, suddenly very nervous and with a strange feeling inside her stomach. Of course leaving was alright. She had to go back to her job and...

"Well." She said and turned to Claudia. "This is goodbye then, I guess."

"Yes, you guess." The redhead smiled knowingly and hugged her out of nowhere. Helena gasped at the feeling of being wrapped into the younger woman's arms. Her throat suddenly felt very tight and she had to swallow hard to keep herself from tearing up.

"HG?" Claudia asked.

"Y-Yes?"

"You are always welcome in the Warehouse." The girl chuckled. "It likes you."

Helena pulled back and slightly turned so Claudia couldn't see the tears in her eyes. She reached a hand to her chest to fiddle with her locket. "Of course..." She mumbled and didn't know what else to say.

"And we like you, too." The new caretaker of the Warehouse nodded. "I know I was an asshat today when I was so grumpy at you. But what can I do? I was kind of raised by Artie." Claudia chuckled.

She put her hands into the pockets of her jacket and suddenly dropped her gaze awkwardly to the ground. "Well, you know..." She mumbled and Helena could see that she fiddled with something inside her pocket. "I'm not doing this talking about affection stuff very well - same as Artie - but well..." The redhead pulled her right hand out of her pocket. A slightly rumpled envelope was pulled out with it. Claudia held it up towards the Victorian. "Uh, this is for you." She smiled.

Helena surveyed the envelope, somewhat skepically.

"See it as an invitation." The young caretaker suddenly said.

HG reached out for the envelope. "Invitation?" She asked as she took it in her own hand. "To what?"

Claudia grinned, a bit sheepishly, and dropped her gaze to the ground again. Then she looked up, her friendly eyes met the Victorian's as she said. "An invitation to a world of endless wonder, HG." She paused. "What did you think it was?" Claudia grinned, then shrugged a little. For a moment, she tilted her head into different directions as if she was listening to her own feelings. "Wow, it definitely felt very interesting to say that."

Helena had almost dropped the envelope in reaction to Claudia's words. "What?" She stared at the younger woman. "Claudia, I can't. It's... I..."

"Just read it, HG." The redhead held up her hands and stepped back slightly. "I mean, not now. It would help a lot, actually, if you could read it when I'm gone. Because I don't do this emotional stuff that well."

With her hand gripping the envelope more tightly, Helena surveyed the girl who was now caretaker of the Warehouse. Claudia looked so grown up. The Victorian was overwhelmed by the way the redhead was looking at her. Like she knew everything about her. HG knew that this wasn't the girl she had once made so nervous any more. Claudia Donovan was caretaker of Warehouse 13 and she was quite good at it.

"So then." The caretaker clapped her hands awkwardly now, then pointed her index fingers at the writer. "You probably want to make your way to your hotel or something. I'm just saying goodbye. Open that envelope. But not now. When I'm gone. See you, HG." She waved her hand slightly.

"See you." Helena replied.

And with that, Claudia turned around and walked away.

HG looked after her for a short while. An invitation to a world of endless wonder? Could Claudia be serious? Had this even been approved by the Regents? How...? Then Helena looked down at the envelope. Sighing, she turned around and opened her car to sit in the driver's seat. She dropped the envelope on the middle console and was about to start the car when she caught the scent of apples emerging from her air freshener. It caused Helena to sob and drop her forehead towards the steering wheel. She couldn't keep herself from crying. She had had this chance today and here she was, sitting alone in her car. The Victorian beat her fist on the steering wheel in desperation. Of course, it didn't help at all. So she leaned back and took the envelope.

Helena G. Wells was inscribed on it in Claudia's sloppy handwriting. The Victorian read over her name twice, before she turned the envelope and opened it while whiping away her tears with the back of her hand.

Inside, there was a simple sheet of paper ripped out of a notebook, folded once. Taking a deep breath, HG opened it. The text was long and Helena took her time to read it.

_Helena,_

_yes, I'm using this name because I know you like being called by it. I'm not very good with words, we both know that, but I have one or two things to tell you I couldn't possibly say out loud- a thing I'll surely have to work on, since I'm caretaker now._

_That was a very messy day, I think we both agree on this, and it was also a turmoil of emotions. But I have to say that I learned a lot today. People kept talking to me about family and about how we take care of each other. How everyone in the Warehouse is a part of this family and that now it's on me to keep this family together. Caretaker or not._

_This is my family. It's little and broken, but still good._

_But Helena, I also realised today that my family is not complete. Because there are people missing as a part of this family. And they are badly missed. We are missing you, HG. You are part of this family and you're running away from it. No one in this family wants you to run. We love you. Every last person in this family loves you (in their own weird way, you know - because it's not just the job that is weird) and we take care of the people we love._

_The Warehouse is your home and the family in it is your family, Helena. It's the place where you belong and I can't stand the thought of a person from my family running away from it. Because there's no reason to do so._

_So please. Stop running. Stop walking away from your family, from the place where you belong, Helena. Because we need you. And I'm pretty sure you need us. Right?_

_Okay, and now I can totally feel that I'm getting emotional about this, so I'll stop here. Also there's another point. I kinda promised Jinksy a new partner and it would be a shame for me as a new caretaker if I can't hold my first promise. You'll have to agree here._

_Love, Claudia_

_PS: Are you insane letting me walk through the dark streets on my own? Do you know what people are doing to good looking young ladies like me? You better start your car right now and pick me up to drive us back to the B &B._

Helena leaned back in her seat and laughed. She had started crying again at the middle of the letter, but now she was laughing and crying at the same time. Quickly, she put that paper down on the middle console and rested her head on her steering wheel while still laughing from all her heart. She could feel every insecurity falling off her shoulders. She felt relieved, more than relieved. She could feel her chest expanding, giving her enough space to breathe and laugh. Claudia was as good with words as she was bad with them. Shaking her head slightly, HG sat up properly in her seat and started her car.

Slowly she drove it out of the parking lot and turned it. There wasn't much to think about. She was about to drive home.

____________________________________

_Myka jogged through the streets of Univille, but not as fast anymore as she had been when she started this morning. She heard Helena chuckle on the bicycle behind her._

_"Darling, are you done? It seems you're played out!" The Victorian giggled._

_"I've been running all morning, Helena. Sometimes there's a point where enough is enough." Myka said and dropped herself on a not particularly well-kept lawn next to the street. She was exhausted. Hiding her face in her own arm while breathing heavily, she weakly raised her other one and panted. "Tell the person who owns this land that I will die here and that it is okay. They can mow their lawn around me."_

_Myka could hear how the writer descented her bicycle and dropped it somewhere._

_"Well, I know why I agreed with Claudia when she said humans should only run when chased." HG spoke and the younger woman could almost hear the smirk. Myka took her arm from her head to be able to face her girlfriend properly. Helena stood there and let her gaze wander over the grass Myka was lying on. The Victorian absent-mindedly reached with the one hand through her hair while the other one rested on the slight swell of her belly. It was the time when the pregnancy started to show. The younger Warehouse agent loved looking at her girlfriend like this._

_"But you like riding the bike." Myka bit her lip._

_"Well, darling I like the thought of adults on bicycles." The older woman replied with a smile._

_"Sure you do." The curly haired woman sat up and turned to face what Helena was looking at._

_"Well, I don't think that the owner of this land would be disturbed by you dying on it." The Victorian proclaimed. "It doesn't look like they really care about it or the house standing on it."_

_Myka narrowed her eyes as she recognised what house she was looking at. "Oh, well, right." She mumbled and nervously rubbed the back of her neck._

_"This is quite a mess." HG said bluntly._

_"Claudia once said it would make more sense to rebuild it completely than to fix it." The younger woman said._

_"Oh, she said that? No..." Myka stood up and caught Helena pouting and with some sort of intrigued glisten in her eyes. "It's such a nice house. It would be a shame not to fix it."_

_"Well, the shingles are loose." The curly-haired woman replied while reaching out for her girlfriend to place a soft kiss on her temple._

_"The whole roof will have to be redone properly." HG declared, not taking her eyes off the house. "The walls are probably damp and also... the garden is a mess. Look at this fence. That spot over there looks terrible; the fence has actually fallen down." She gestured at the spot where Myka had walked onto the land to lie down on the ground._

_"Yes, it would be a lot of work to repair it." The younger woman said monotonously._

_"Indeed." The writer nodded and looked into her eyes. "Indeed it would be a lot of work to repair this."_

_"So, well." Myka shrugged and turned away. "I think I have recovered enough to run the rest of the way to the B &B and then die there. Under a shower. Maybe with your assistance."_

_Helena grinned and reached out for her bicycle. "Myka?" She asked._

_"Yes?" The American spun on her heels._

_"Did you see it?" The older woman glanced at the house._

_"What do you... ah!" She grinned. "I thought we didn't discuss that part of our lives, because you don't want to know."_

_"Yes, I know...but... well, somehow I hope you'd seen it." HG replied and smiled softly at her._


	19. Epilogue

Adwin Kosan fiddled with something in the pocket of his pants, looking around Artie's office. Every member of what Claudia Donovan called 'The Warehouse family' was looking at him very attentively. He took a deep breath.

"H.G. Wells has been reinstated as a Warehouse agent." He said in his usual calm voice. "But not fully. Miss Wells." He turned towards the Victorian, who stood in the middle of the room, smiling one of her brightest smiles. Claudia cheered, raising both her arms and squealing in delight. Myka grinned, first at her and then, shyly, at Helena.

"Restricted means that it is Miss Donovan's and Mrs. Frederic's decision whether you're getting access to files or not. We trust you, Miss Wells, but still... The Regents agreed that we have to consider your history and that you have to be on probation for some time. To prove that this trust in you is justified."

The Victorian nodded her head once. "I understand, Mr. Kosan. This decision from the Regents is only logical.", she said. "But I think I'll prove myself worthy."

"I don't expect anything less." Mr. Kosan replied, bowing his head. Finally, he revealed that he'd been fiddling with a badge: he pulled it out of his pocket and presented it to her. "Welcome back, Miss Wells."

Quickly, Helena reached out for the badge. "Thank you." She smiled, pinning it to her belt.

They shook hands and then Mr. Kosan shrugged. "I have to head to my next appointment with the Regents, I'm sorry. But I think my presence would disturb the celebration anyway." He waved at the assembled Warehouse family and then saw himself out.

The first person who fell into HG's arms was Claudia. Abigail, and Pete were right behind her and congratulated the writer as well.

"I'm glad you're back!" Pete proclaimed. "And I never doubted that you would come back."

Helana hugged him. Hearing this from him was important to her: Pete always meant exactly what he said.

Artie looked down at his shoes. "No tinkering with the Warehouse hardware." He told her, before turning around and walking away. Claudia and Abigail exchanged a look and grinned at each other.

And then there was Myka. She hugged the older woman, very awkwardly, and avoided her gaze. Helena inhaled her scent, closing her eyes for a second. She had no idea how to deal with Myka. But HG was sure, now, that she would be able to work with her. She had been sure about Myka's feelings for her before. But now, it was different. Helena would need time. Time would tell where their relationship was going.

"Well." She said, pulling back from the hug and smiling softly. "Thank you for believing in me, Myka. I know you did. Don't deny it."

The younger agent stepped back and rubbed the back of her neck. "Of course." She said. "Of course. Because... well, you belong here, right? Like Claudia said." She took a deep breath. "I'm glad you're here, Helena."

This sentence meant everything to HG. "Yes." She nodded. "Me too."

Steve stepped towards her and Helena cursed internally because she had wanted to say more. But now Myka turned around and walked towards the shelf with the files, away from her.

"So, Claudia promised me a new partner. Here you are." Jinks tilted his head and surveyed the writer. "I think this is gonna be interesting."

Helena raised an eyebrow as she took her gaze off Myka to look at him. She surveyed him for a short time and then smirked. "Of course this will be interesting. Claudia has already told me so much about you..." She made a brief pause and grinned. "Jinksy."

Steve's eyes widened.

"Claudia!" He yelled, eyes still locked onto Helena. "I'm going to kill you!"

"I'm your boss now!" The caretaker replied cheerfully from her chair behind her computer.

"I don't care. You better be running right now!" Steve turned around on his heels. Claudia jolted up from her chair and was suddenly gone.

"I hope you're quick!" They could hear her voice from the Warehouse gallery. "Because I've perfectionated my Claudia-ing."

Steve started running towards the gallery, which caused Trailer to jump up from his position under the caretaker's table and run behind them, barking loudly. HG followed them, but not all the way dow into the aisles. Instead, she placed her hands on the banister of the gallery and looked out over the repaired Warehouse shelves. Inhaling the scent of apples, she smiled.

Claudia was right.

This was the place where she belonged.

THE END (for now...)


End file.
